HOTD Courage, love and blood
by Yamucha-san
Summary: Set after the events of season one. The group of brave survivors go on with defending themselves, and surviving. Meanwhile Takashi finds himself changing from rei towards Saeko. And Saeko struggles with her feelings, and companions. Please leave a review.
1. First step towards the dead

Right, I'll start this off by saying that English isn't my First language. I'm Dutch, but I'll do my best to use proper grammar and construct correct sentences. If you notice mistakes I make repeatedly don't hesitate to tell me.

Secondly, I am a Saeko / Takashi fan. So that's what this story will be. I'd like to add that I don't hate Rei at all but I just don't like to see her ending up with Takashi that's all. This story is set Right after the group leaves the Takagi manor. Following the events that have occurred in the anime I'll take up the story from about where season 1 ends, where they exit the humvee to see the hordes of 'them'. . I apologize to the people who have read the manga but I won't follow it. Though the group will go to the mall, I will change it, and overhaul it completely. That's not because I don't like the manga, it's because I'd like to let my fantasy go loose.

I do ( obviously) not own Highschool Of The Dead. All rights belong to their original writers and animators etc. One last thing, ( yeah I know I'm annoying.) I'm not a fan of overpowered characters. I know H.o.t.d. isn't like dragonball Z or whatever. But in my humble opinion it'd be a bit more intense when I downgrade all characters a bit, and upgrade the zombies a bit. ( Now don't fret, Kouta will still be a crackshot, Saeko a beast, etc…

Act 1: First step towards the dead.

The risky sounds that were coming from the engine faded away as Ms Shizuka turned around the keys of the car. As they were crossing the bridge, they found themselves being stopped by a throng of the dead, the infected. But they preferred to call them –them-.

She smacked the wheel with her head and let out an annoyed sigh. "Not again. I'm hungry and I feel dirty." The pink haired genius next to her looked at her and couldn't help but to agree. She grinned and looked behind her. She saw her good friends doing their stuff. The small girl by the name of Alice had slumbered to sleep on the lap of that fat nerd, Kohta. The guy himself was clearly awake. Both shocked and excited about the danger ahead. Though he wasn't one for fighting, he definitely was one for adventure. He looked to his right, where Rei was getting ready to do what they most likely would have to do.

On top of the truck were the remaining members of the group. The enigmatic and reliable Busujima Seako. And their clumsy, yet more than capable leader Takashi. The sudden stopping of the vehicle had shaken them out of their conversation. "Well, I don't think we can avoid them this time.. but I do not like fighting them on a bridge." He spoke to the girl whom was sitting next to him. He stood up and offered her his hand. "We can try walking through them, but one mistake and we'll be surrounded." Saeko responded as she took his hand. Takashi smiled. He felt her soft hand grabbing his and looked at the girl in front of him. The mere feeling which it gave him send a soft shiver down his spine. At this point he didn't know what exactly he was feeling for her. But he did know that he felt attracted to her. Every time he would look into her ocean blue eyes he would feel his body warming up. And if he weren't that oblivious about it he might have noticed that he felt a lot more for her than that he was willing to make himself believe. "Thank you, Takashi-kun." She said as she smiled at him. It were those very smiles. Those simple, yet real smiles which would make him laugh inside as well. "It was my pleasure!".

At this point Rei climbed up from the hatch. "Takashi, what must we d-d-d…" Her eyes twitched as she saw the two standing there. "Rei! It's good you're here alr… what are you staring at?" He saw her eyes gazing towards him. But not at his head. He followed her eyes, and as he turned his head he noticed that the blue haired girl next to him was doing exactly the same. Their eyes looked down towards their locked hands, and in the blur of the situation she pulled her hand back, out of his grip. "*cough*" She felt herself blushing and couldn't help but to stare to the ground. "D… errmmmmmm! That was not what you think it was!" were the words he spurred out in panic. His head reddened. Partly because of what had just happened, but also because he actually enjoyed it. He put his hand behind his back and tried to act as normal as possible. "UHm… right. Rei, could you call the others please." He looked at the girl next to him and smiled one last time before he turned his attention to the matter at hand.

He saw them on the bridge. Standing there, aimlessly. Some stragglers were moving towards them, attracted by the sound the engine had produced. He was surprised that they weren't already all coming towards the humvee. `Kohta, Takagi, Ms Shizuka-san! Please come here!" The red head yelled. Which turned out to not have been the best idea and she realized it the moment the words had passed her lips. She placed her hands on her lips and looked around, only to see some of the lifeless heads turn towards her. She then looked at Takashi. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to..!" He gave her a chuckle. "It doesn't matter Rei. We all make mistakes…" Feeling a bit offended, she was able to stop herself from interrupting him. "… and besides, there are only a few coming this way." He tried to reassure her, and he did that with success. It wasn't easy at a time like this to not get irritated over these little things. But he knew better than to go against Rei. He liked her, a lot. At least, that's what he believed, and still felt. Yet something had changed the last few days. In fact, everything had changed when she had started dating his best friend, and after that his worst nemesis as well. Hisashi. He felt devastated back then. But he couldn't get himself to love another girl. He had always loved her, ever since kindergarten he had loved her. That promise, that dreadful promise, is what had made the past few years the way they had been. He had his friends, and he had his chanced for another girl. But nothing could replace the feelings which he had for Rei. Which he wanted to have again. The feelings which he tried to make himself believe in. Yet… something had changed miserably. Something was replacing those feelings at this point. And he liked it. It made him feel elated.

The only other male of the group climbed up now as well. Everyone chuckled softy at his clumsiness. That very clumsy character treat of his was what made him the way he was. He was followed by Takagi Saya, the brains of the group. She was a genius, a wonder child might actually have been a better choice of words. At least, that's what Takashi had always seen her as. He had known her for practically his entire life. And she was easily one of his best friends. Though they never really showed that friendship to themselves, let alone to others. It was there, and it would never go away.

"Takag… Saya, Shizuka-san. Keep an eye out for Alice and be prepared to hit the gas as soon as needed."

"Hai!" Both of the women responded.

"Kohta, I'll need you to watch our backs. But only shoot when absolute…"

"…tely necessary. I know I know." He said laughing. He and Takashi had built up quite a bond in the short time they had known each other by now.

"Haha, good. Make sure to keep an eye out on those two inside. We don't want them to… y'know. Distract you?"

"Kohta-sama is never distracted! He is the hero, the rescue…"

"Oh shut it you fat nerd!" Came from the pink-haired genius inside the car. Kohta raised his arms and smiled.

"Almost nothing will distract me? Haha."

Takashi returned the smile and nodded. "Right, as for the rest of us. Saeko-san, if you're willing… Uhm, could you take the front?" he asked whilst laughing. He hated asking that question. For he knew all to well she would say yes. For she was the best fighter in their group bar none. But every time he would ask this of her, he was sending her to the most dangerous place to be. And though he knew the answer, he always expected a no from her.

She turned her head and smiled.

"Of course I don't. It's my pleasure." Her laughing face reassured him. He had seen her in action. Chopping and slicing them down with her agile, swift and above all, merciless cuts from her katana. As long as she was okay, the group had the biggest chance of survival. As long as she was okay… he'd feel better. Not because he'd like the others to fall victim. But because she was his source from which he'd gain happiness, hope and laughs these days. He could do that with all of them, but with her it was different. It was new.

"Rei, you stay with Kohta and guard the car. I'll follow you Saeko-san, and take care of any remaining… uhm… of any of them who will remain." He saw the blue haired girl nodding at him. He then turned towards Rei, but before he could add anything she opened her mouth.

"I want to come with you!"

"Rei… you know…" He looked behind him, and saw that they were coming closer and closer. Though they were slow as hell they seemed to be able to teleport every time you would look away from them.

"We both know that we are capable fighters! I'm better with a spear than with a gun!"

"Rei, keep your voice down." He spoke strictly. "You're staying here, it's for the b…." He was interrupted by a hand on his shoulder. For a minute he was scared, for everything that came at him without knowing it would scare him at these times. That feeling of fear was quickly replaced by a big grin and a pumping heart. "Saeko-san."

"Kumo… takashi-kun. We need to get … started." She said. He saw the change in her eyes. He knew her secret, he knew that she was looking forwards to fighting them. Infact, she was awaiting it. Every chance she would get, she would take, just so that she could feel the adrenaline rushing though her body, the fear in her head and the joy in her heart.

It turned her on. But no matter how much her eyes would change, that deep marine blue would take a hold of his heart every time he'd look into them.

"Yeah, you're right." He looked at Rei and nodded. He knew that she didn't like it when he and Saeko were together. But by now he had learned to do what he wanted to. Besides, it was not as if they had a whole lot of choice in the matter right now.

"Be careful Rei. You too Kohta." Were his last words before he jumped from the car. He looked up, and wanted to give the girl a hand down, but before he was able to she had already jumped off and stood next to him. Their shoulders touched, and they shared one last caring smile, one loving smile, and one reassuring smile. He felt her hand stroking over his for a mere second, but this was most likely just an accident. Nevertheless, he blushed a little. _This isn't the time to think about this. We've got a job to do._

Saeko felt excited. More than that, she felt that extreme urge to kill yet again. But, just as was the case with Takashi, she had felt her hand touching his. It was nothing more than a simple touch. She as well, wanted that he did it on purpose, but quickly came to realize that this most likely wasn't the case. After all, she didn't feel that she was worth it. _Takashi… Please be safe._

Rei saw them. She couldn't see their hands nor shoulders, but she knew all to well that they were standing so close. She did indeed, not like it. In fact, she hated it. Even though she had said that she couldn't live on if he would ever love another girl, he was still flirting with Sempai? It made her mad. Not at Takashi, not even that much at Seako. She didn't really know on whom she was mad, she simply was every time she'd see them together. But for now she'd do as she was told and cover their backs.

"Seako-san, are you ready?" He didn't get a response in words. But he felt, even though it was only for a brief moment, her fingers running though his. This time it was obvious though, that she did it on purpose. He was surprised, and pulled his hand back a little bit. Only to respond by grabbing her hand firmly this time. They looked at each other. Both blushing, and both deadly serious.

The time was there now. She was going in, and he was going to protect her with his life. Even though… she was most likely going to be protecting him in the end. She lifted her leg, and as soon as her foot had made contact with the ground after her first step, it was on.. It was the first step towards the dead.


	2. First strike from the dead

I do not own high school of the dead. All rights belong to its original author and animators.

Chapter two will focus on the journey towards the mall. Besides of course, references. There will be quite little romance in this part. But… seeing as I write these messages beforehand. I might be totally wrong. Just don't expect it just yet. D:

**Act 2: The first strike from of the dead. **

"Hnng, just stay down already!" The young leader yelled at one of them. He hit its head with the hilt of his gun once, twice and only with a third hit with all of his strength and body weight behind it, it went down. As it hit the ground Takashi looked up immediately. They had severely underestimated them. The relaxed and comfortable time they had had at the Takagi manor made them loose their wariness. It had made them forget the fact that these creatures were here to stay, and were a part of their future. He felt a drop of sweat running over his front head. The second beast he went for went down a bit easier. As he swung his gun at its head the sound a crushed bones reached his ears. It was a perfect hit, followed by a perfect… dead. They didn't know whether they were already dead, or simply infected. But the more they fought them, the more they noticed themselves changing because of it. Whilst they found it difficult at first to kill them, more and more they started to accept reality. He had bashed down three of them by now without having to fire his gun. He now turned his attention towards Saeko, he saw her doing what she did best.

One swing, one kill. One slice, one kill. One stab, one kill. Perfect strikes followed up by a series of back flips, rolls and dodges. It was nigh impossible for them to even get close, let alone bite her. Even though he might be stronger than her when it came down to pure physical strength, she'd deal with him in mere seconds were they ever to fight. Of course, he'd never want to fight her, let alone hurt her. When he killed that lonely guy at the gas station, he had lost a part of his humanity, and gained another. Never, never again would he kill a person whom was still alive. One might say that that's only logical to think? Well in the world they found themselves in it wasn't. Most people would likely do everything to survive. Including sacrificing their friends. It was the sad truth. Society as we know it had crumbled down, and the law of the jungle was the only law.

The strongest survive.

He found himself with very little to do on this bridge. And the reason? Well the reason he both loved and hated. Every single one of them was struck down by that lovable girl who went by the name of Saeko busujima. One by one, and occasionally two went down in a single strike. He was so occupied with watching her, that he completely forgot the situation they were finding themselves in. A loud girly scream shook him awake. "Alice-chan?" He immediately turned around and saw what was happening. A few of them had –snuck- behind the humvee. Most likely some left-overs from earlier encounters and were trying to bash through the windows of the car. Obviously scaring the little girl. Heck, it even scared Takashi himself. But he figured that Kohta and Rei were enough to handle those stragglers. He turned around, and prepared to bash down one of them who appeared to just have had his legs cut off. _Looks like even miss Saeko misses sometimes. _

"Kohta-kun!" Rei yelled at the guy. "Put them down!"

"WE can't fire our guns, you know that will only make matters worse!" He looked at the girl in front of him. He knew that she could probably handle the eight of them. Yet he also knew that she was scared. Unlike Saeko-san, non of them had that martial prowess that was needed to safely go into hand to hand combat with them. "Besides, they haven't noticed us. And that glass won't bre..!" He hadn't finished his sentence or he was proven wrong. The glass shattered into smithereens as one of them threw its body against it. The passengers inside panicked, and crawled towards the back of the car. They could hear some more than annoyed words coming from Saya. Miss Shizuka couldn't go back though. She had completely forgotten the fact that she still had the seat belt wrapped around her.

"Kohta, let do this! NOW!" She jumped down and trusted the bayonet into the head of one of them. As the bayonet was stuck inside its head, she stamped the creature of the pointy end.

"I can't shoot! You know that Rei!" He heard himself talk and regretted it. But he simply couldn't. Who knows what would happen if he would draw the attention of the entire group.

"What can happen? There are only eight on our side, and… Tsaaa!" Before she was able to finish her sentence. She sidestepped away from the swooping arms from one of them, and took advantage of the opening and repeated the same movement which she had done before. "And Takashi and Sempai are handling the others just fine!" She gave him a nod, to grant him some confidence.

"I… hope you're right." He stood up and looked through the visor. This rifle was by far his favourite weapon. The fact that he could make head shots with it, and kill multiple hostiles with merely a single button would pump him up. He pulled the trigger, the bullet was ignited, and within no-time one of them dropped to the ground. That was the good part.

The bad part however…the echo from the gun filled the sky. Sound waves reached his ears, but he was to enraptured by the moment to actually notice. He fired again, again and again. Two more fell, and he cursed himself for missing that shot. Well, not missing. But they simply wouldn't go down if you didn't pierce or crack their skulls. Rei followed his actions, and pulled the trigger of her rifle as well. The sounds in the air seemed to increase with each bullet fired, and alerted the horde ahead of the bridge. They didn't notice it, for they were fighting for their own life's as well. When the last one fell to the ground, Rei and Kohta gave each other a thumbs up, only to finally notice the screams coming from the Takashi. They were unable to hear him over the sounds -they- had made, let alone the sounds their blazing guns had made. "WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU TWO DOING! STOP SHOOTING!" They heard it, and saw it as well. That angry guy whom was yelling at them was panicking. They couldn't tell that from that distance, but they would notice it soon enough. Every single one of them had turned their attention towards Takashi and Saeko.

_Not good, not good, not good! _"Raaagh!" With all of his power he struck down yet another. Five. Five of them had fallen to the hilt of his gun by now. "Saeko- s…!" We can't pull this off!"

"…" She heard his voice. And couldn't help but to chuckle for a bit. She saw him beating the head of one of them to a pulp. She saw the squirming image of a human, screaming for mercy under the hilt of his gun. All those grim images faded away, as soon she heard him yell again. He did indeed, make her feel human again. Something which she had missed for quite a few years, if not her entire life. "Takashi-kun! Get back to the vehicle! We have stretched their lines thin enough! We should be able to drive through now!" She dodged now, fell to the ground. Rolled up again and gave yet another enjoyable swing which chopped a face in half. The blood squirted from the walking body onto her. This wasn't the first blood stain she had been engulfed with though. Her entire school uniform was covered in sweat, dirt, and above all… blood. But that was the way it worked. Keeping clean was one of the least concerns she had at points like these.

"What about you?"

"I'll be fine! Just go! NOW!"

"Tssskk…." She saw the doubt in his face. It made her doubt herself as well, was she being to bossy? It was something which almost became fatal for her. She was barely able to avoid one of their heads, but her shoulder was struck with the immense force they held back. Staggering for a second she quickly regained her composure. She didn't feel the pain just yet, little did she know that this wound would be the onset of the upcoming events.

"Takashi-kun! Go now!" A part of her hated him for staying. He was risking his own life by doing so. Yet another part blushed, as once again. He proved that he cared about her. He stayed, where others had fled. He stayed, where others had scoffed her. It made her smile, even laugh out loud for a bit.

"You know I can't… DO… THAT!" He yelled back, as he swung his weapon at yet another body. "

She smiled in herself. Then ran, rolled and dodged her way towards him. "You're too sweet Takashi-kun." She remarked as she suddenly stood in front of him. He hadn't the time to return a compliment, as she already nodded him to run towards the vehicle.

"There they come!" Saya, whom had by now climbed out of the vehicle. She hadn't hear him scream. So she didn't feel the same shame Rei and Khota did. Nevertheless, every single one of them was relieved to see the duo returning to the car.

"They did it! Ms Shizuka-san! Prepare to hit the gas!" Saya yelled at the blonde nurse as she jumped back and took a seat. She took the still shocked Alice in her arms and gave her a hug. This was very unlike her, but it was the only thing she could think of that would help. After all, it had helped her before when Saeko did it back at the school.

"Saya-chan, did they make it?"

Slightly annoyed at her disrespect, she felt her eyes twitch and her teeth grinding against one another. Yet she knew better than to get mad now, and she simple smiled and nodded.

"Rei-san! Let's get in!" Kohta yelled, actually he almost ordered it.

"Hai!" She let him go fist. She looked back and jumped down at the same time. Only to see a glimpse of the two holding hands and running towards the vehicle. They were running, fleeing. But still, she hated the sight of that. And she would hate it every time. _ Takashi… are you really liking her? Or am I simply seeing things?_

They made it back. "Takashi, get on first!" They had left them behind far enough, and had enough breathing space. But one could never be too careful .

"Right, we did it Saeko-san!" He said happily as he pulled himself on top of the vehicle. He heard the engine starting, he even thought he had heard the clicking sound the keys would make when turned around. He stood up and looked down at the woman. For a minute he looked scared, as he saw the stunning girl, covered in blood. Then he smiled. Even though it was gross, nobody would deny that. _It suits her…qwiangibw… what the hell am I thinking? _He reached out his hand to pull her up. He looked in her blue eyes, whom had returned to normal again. They immediately cast their spell on him again. His heart pace went up, and he grinned automatically.

"Arigato, Takashi-kun!" She locked their hands with pleasure, and seemed to get on the truck quite easily as he helped her up. But as soon as the pressure on her right shoulder increased, an agonizing jolt of pain raged through her body. she let out a soft scream. "Tsss…" She bit her own lips and closed her eyes. Almost losing her footing because of it. But luckily Takashi was able to pull her up in time. _What…no that can't be!_

"Saeko-san!" He pulled her up, and pulled her in close. "Are you okay?"_ Are you joking? What kind of stupid question is that? Of course she isn't. _

"I… think I am." _Who are you trying to fool Saeko? He can obviously see you're not!_ She tried to reassure him. But as she tried to push herself up, the car started speeding forwards. This surprise made her loose her balance. As she fell forwards and landed on top of Takashi her shoulder seemed to be ignited.

He was caught by surprise and in a reflex he wrapped his arms around her, pulling her close. He heard her soft squeal when she fell down. If the great Busujima Saeko acted like that, there was something seriously wrong. He saw her pushing herself up with the unharmed hand, and as she sat on top of him they looked at each other. Then at her shoulder. And there it was. There was the horror, the scare, the angst. Her uniform was torn apart on her shoulder and revealed her naked skin. This wouldn't be that bad, weren't it for that deep cut. That single, long and gaping cut. Blood was sipping from it, and merely looking at it made Takashi tense his muscles. "Saeko-san! Your… shoulder!"

"Kumo… Takashi-kun. Rest assured. I wasn't bitten." She wasn't lying. For she would have noticed it if she were. But she hadn't expected a cut like this from a mere slash of a hand. _Please… don't let me be infected. Not now… not now that I've found these friends. These friends and… him. Don't let me loose him already!_

He felt her pain, and sat up as well. Their faces came close to each other. Their noses touched for a minute. As he hugged her intensely. "Saeko, you fool! You could have gotten… " He increased his grip on her. Firmly pressing her body against his and digginh his fingers in her back. He knew he was hurting her, but neither he nor she cared about that. This was the first time one of them got physically wounded during a fight, and he was worried. Even more so than normally.

This was the first strike from the dead.

Right, that was it for act two. Next chapter will include a little bit more character development.

By the way, Don't get mad at me for making Rei the jealous type, but I simply think she is. She'll still have her moments though. :)


	3. Jealous of the dead

_Right, I thought last chapter would be written until they had reached the mall. But then the chapter would be too long I suppose. This one will consist mainly of some conversations between the two characters. And most likely the actually arrival at the mall. ( Yeah, they might be a little predictable, but I'll try my best to do something –new-. ) _

Act 3: jealous of the dead.

"Saeko-san! You damned fool!" He yelled at her. Digging his fingers in her back and firmly pressing the body against him. Her breasts were being squished between them as she felt his head hanging and hissing in her neck. Her shoulder kept on burning because of him, but at a point like this she didn't really care. She looked down, blushing intensely as a comforting warmth engulfed her entire body. The wind was blowing through their hair as the vehicle moved forwards. "Never! Never again!" He increased his grip on her and held her body against his with all of his strength.

"Ta… t-Takashi-kun." She stuttered out with difficulty. She didn't really know how to respond. She didn't know what to say. All she could think of was placing her left arm around him and run her fingers through her hair. "I'm all right. It doesn't hurt that much."

"You liar! I can hear that you're in pain!" He loosened up a bit and looked her in the eyes. He eyed angry, happy and scared at the same time. He didn't care that his clothes were bloodied now as well, all he could think of was she. She, her thoughts and her pains. He stopped forcing her body against him now, only to notice that she didn't remove her hands. Her long soft fingers running through his hair. Her warm breath streaming passed his neck. It actually made him breath heavily.

"Takashi-kun. It's just a scratch." _Please… don't think of me as someone weak now._

"Who are you trying to fool!" He looked at the wound and once again felt his body tensing. It was a flesh wound, to put it bluntly. "You… need to show it to Ms Shizuka-san… what if…"

"What if? Do you think I'm…? Takashi-kun!" She felt annoyed, mad almost. Was he implying that she would become one of them? She tried to yell at him. And as she opened her mouth to scream, her world turned black. "Hmmm" She was interrupted by a pair of lips on hers. Only capable of releasing some soft squeals, her eyes opened up widely as she saw his face just in front of hers. His eyes closed, and his hands running over her back. Not to harsh this time. This time it didn't hurt. This time it felt great. As the moment of surprise had faded away, she closed her eyes and let herself be taken in by him. She felt his breath coming from his nose, his lips closing to nibble on hers. Her arm pulled him in closer. As she started to respond to the kiss, It was getting more passionate with every opportunity they gave each other.

Not that she minded. Her day was made, and she felt as if she could tackle the world ten times over. Did he really love her? What about Rei? And… did she really deserve him? All of these thoughts were fading away for the time being, as she felt his cold hand on he neck. This was what she wanted. This was what she had wanted for quite some time. And she hoped, she really hoped. That it was what he wanted as well.

"Why aren't they coming inside?" Rei remarked. As she looked at the hatch. She was unable to see them, and that might have just been for the better.

"They're regaining their breath Rei. They'll join us shortly." Saya remarked. She knew better however. It was obvious for her that they were doing something. What? She didn't know. She actually thought that they were simply having a deep conversation. That wouldn't be that bad? Would it?

"Yes but,… Nevermind. I'm just seeing stuff I suppose." She thought of the good times she and Takashi had had. But every memory was haunted with images of Hisashi or an angry Takashi instead of the cute and energetic one she had loved. And… still loved.

"Takagi-kun! Which turn do I have to take?" The nurse asked in haste. They were speeding on a road full of wreckages and the occasional walking… and the occasional them.

But the sudden question kept the two other girls from thinking too much about everything.

_I'll just talk to him as soon as I get the chance._

The air surrounding them was burning hot with a short burst of love. It was up until the point where she opened her eyes, and she was once again faced with her surroundings. One of them had just been hit by the humvee and the cracking sound of bones being crushed under the vehicle's weight snapped both of them out of this engulfment of fantasy and love. Both of them sitting on their knees in front of another they almost fell back in each others arms as the car made a sudden sharp curve. He only just now realized the stupidity behind his kiss. Laughing to suppress his shame and doubt. "I hope… that was, erm, disturbing? Uhm I mean… That that wasn't! … disturbing…" _What are you doing now you retard?_

She was still dazed by his action. And as she heard his words she hadn't the slightest clue of what she would have to tell him now. She placed her hands on her lap, blushed and giggled in her soft and cold voice. "Takashi-kun…"

He looked up when she heard her words and saw her red face. He noticed all too good how warm his own cheeks felt as well. She looked different now. Almost like a little girl meeting her prince on the white horse for the first time. It wasn't like her to act like this at all, that much was for sure at least. She usually kept her cool in almost every imaginable situation, but a mere kiss broke the unbreakable? "Takashi-kun… I…. I,.. I'm going to…" She looked at him and noticed her body feeling as warm as it did. She coughed a bit and tried to regain her composure. "Takashi! Arigato!" She said with her normal voice again, thus sounding rather strange.

"No problem Saeko-san… I just hope I didn't…"

"You didn't do anything wrong." She stood up and sat on the back of the vehicle. He placed himself next to her, but with some distance between them now. He felt happy and sad at the same time. At this moment he felt something for her which he hadn't felt in quite some time. Yet it all felt so… rushed. Did he really love her? Or was he being driven by lust? And indeed…. What about Rei?

He looked at her and saw that she had returned to her old self. Her childish eyes had returned to her enigmatic, enrapturing and breath-taking blue eyes. He pale skin was… pale again instead of red. He saw that she was thinking about him and her as well. Well, at least that's what he figured she was doing. What else was there to think about after a kiss like that? It was only now that he remember her wound. She wasn't even clutching her hand onto it. Was it really nothing then? He looked at it and noticed that it was still faintly bleeding, but he figured that that was… well… normal. _Saeko…-san. Was it fate to meet you on that day? Was it a plot from higher up? Why can't I stop thinking of you? Could it be… Do I love her?Ugh, why is everything so hard? I thought these things were supposed to be easy… _Yes, those were the questions he was asking himself. She was only the second girl he had mentally liked this way. Besides Miyamoto Rei, he had never really loved anyone. He had kissed a few other girls, but only because he didn't want to hurt them in the same way Rei had hurt him. Whatever was going to happen between them. He'd give it his all. He wouldn't let his opportunity of luck fly by yet again. He wouldn't let her feel unworthy again.

She let out a deep and exhausted sigh. Observing the road that was passing by fast underneath her feet. Her right hand rested on her lap, for she definitely hadn't forgotten about the scratch. It was not that she didn't feel the flames of pain running through her veins. She simply didn't want to look weak and vulnerable. She had always felt invincible, always felt strong. And now, a single, slow and mindless something had been able to land that crushing blow? What would the group think of her? Would they lose trust in her? Would they think she's…?

And then there was Takashi. She was quite sure about the fact that she liked him. Most likely even loved. That much she was sure of. However… Even though he had told her that he admired her and would always look up to her. In what way did he mean that? It could mean anything. He could admire her looks, her strength? Her personality? No… she was convinced that it couldn't be her personality. She wouldn't go as far as to say that she hated herself, but she didn't exactly think of herself as a -nice- person. After all, wasn't she simply one of them? He had kissed her twice now. And two times she had cherished the moment. That night in the temple something inside her had changed. She had began to question everything, especially herself. She had began to hate a lot of things, yet also love a lot of things. Slaying them was still something which turned her on. In fact, at the onset of this all she was, though in a strange way, happy. It finally allowed her do what she loved. And that was fighting. She hadn't been training her whole life just to never utilise her inner strength and techniques now had she?

She looked at him and noticed him quickly looking from her again. His feet were moving vaguely as he began to whistle a soft tune. "K…Takashi-kun? Is there something wrong?"

He saw her question coming. In fact, he had hoped that she would say something. If only a cough. At this moment he felt that he loved her, but would that feeling last as he saw Rei again? It wasn't fair for either of them if he… charmed.. them both.

"No, I was just thinking. Saeko-san, what are your hobby's?"

"My hobby's?" She asked surprised.

"Yes! Uhm, well… I know that martial arts is obviously one of them. But, aren't there more things you liked… like to do?" He purred a bit at his question. _Great… now you look like a tardfish. _His doubts were erased as he saw her chuckle and allowed him yet another sight of her stunning face.

"Is that really a fitting question to be asked right now Kumoro-kun?" She kept struggling with calling him by his real name. Not knowing the actual reason if there even was one.

"Well I-I…"

"No matter. No, not to worry. Yes, there were a few things I enjoyed. But… I doubt you would like to hear them." _What are you saying? He just asked for it didn't he?" _

"I would! I can't help but to imagine what the great Miss Saeko-san would be enjoying in her free time!" He felt like a genius for asking this question and found that the choice of his words were perfect this time. Just to get the wrong effect of course.

"Then what are you… imagining?" She chuckled out.

"Well… owowow, you don't think? Ah… erm."

"I don't think what?"

"That I imagine you… doing stuff like that?"

She opened her eyes and was shocked for a minute. Then Started laughing. "Takashi-kun, don't worry. I'm a woman after all am I? It's logical for you to let that cross your mind. But yes, I had some… so-called hobby's. I really liked to… liked to…" She was unable to finish her sentence for The car suddenly stopped. Rei came jumping out of the hatch immediately. Followed by Saya, and then Kohta. Miss Shizkua and Alice exited the vehicle through the unharmed door.

The two young ones hadn't even noticed that they had already reached the mall. Well… he kind of expected it. After all, it was merely a five minute ride after they had passed the bridge. He was annoyed that he couldn't talk a bit longer with Saeko. He actually really wanted to know her hobby's. Quite frankly, he just wanted to know about everything of her. He looked at Rei now, whom was obviously still annoyed.

"Takashi! You could have at least had the decency to tell us that you two were okay!" She let out quite aggressively.

_D'aww… here we go again._ "I know I know… I'm sorry okay. But this is hardly the time to be discussing that. Let's get inside."

They had arrived on the parking lot of the shopping mall. It was really quite large, and surprisingly enough there were only , at max, five of them spread across the concrete landscape. Most cars had been hastily driven away, judging to the black tracks left on the ground. One car was still faintly burning as it's engine had been ignited. Most likely on purpose, judging from the hints of violence around it.

The group moved towards the entrance of the huge colourful shopping mall towering in front of them. Takashi let the rest go first, as he and Kohta would stay behind and grab their belongings from the humvee. Takashi looked at the girls leaving towards the mall.

First at Miss Shizuka and Alice. The way she treated the little girl warmth his heart. Though she wasn't her biological mother, she had sure acted like it ever since they had been together. And it was a beautiful sight to the eyes at times like this. Even though the blonde nurse came over a little bit… clumsy if not dumb at times. She had a heart of gold, and they all knew it.

After them came Saya, followed directly by Rei. The two seemed to have a conversation but he couldn't tell about what they were talking. _Probably something girly… _Rei, had her charming wit about her as always. Her slender figure moved graciously, it almost felt as if she did it on purpose. If she did… then she did a pretty swell job, because he had definitely liked it all those years.

A few meters beyond that came Saeko. She was placing her hand gently on her wound now though, for she hadn't let Shizuka-san take a look at it yet. Takashi observed her body. Starting from her hand, following her long dark blue hair down to her hindquarters. Even though he was probably just making it up, he thought to notice her behind bounce just a little bit with every step she took. His eyes were locked at that sight, as he felt himself getting warm, as he busted himself on letting his mind go wild. He was shaken away by Kohta who hit him on the shoulders. "Hehe, you sure have a crush on her do you?"

"Wh… what? Me? Uhm… I don't know."

"Oh you don't have to hide anything from me! It's obvious. Besides, who wouldn't have a crush on something that looks like such an angel?"

Takashi looked at his chubby friend and gave him a faked grin, as he was actually thinking about his words. Was he really loving her only because of her looks? No… he felt that there was more. But what more was there? Were it only her looks then? Noo, that couldn't be.

"Yeah, maybe you're right." He replied rather down. He looked at that angel once more. And felt that there was more. But was it enough? Was it enough to give him the courage to confront his past with Rei? _God damn it all... If she really is going to keep occupying my mind like she's doing now I might go crazy… I think… I do, l-l-l-…. _ Even just thinking the word was hard for him as he and Kohta approached the huge building.

She looked at Takashi and Kohta approaching them. Looking at her boyfriend ( which she saw him as at least.). Then at Saeko. Only just now noticing the fact that she was buried beneath blood and clutching tightly to her shoulder. Had she been bitten? If she were… would that mean she would be jealous of the dead?

_Right, that was it for this chapter. Next will most likely be here in 1-3 days. Most likely 1, for holiday is coming! It'll involve the settling in the mall, some friendships are seen developing, and others get destroyed. ( You can most likely guess which will be.) _

_Thanks for reading you all!_


	4. Turned on by the dead

_I do not own highschool of the dead. All rights belong to its original author and animators. ( yes, I'm going to say that every time. )_

_Right, chapter 4. I don't think that there's any need to tell you what's going to happen. Probably some Rei and Takashi moments. And some Rei and Saeko moments. But like I said before. I type these little messages beforehand, so it may turn out to be completely different._

_I also got my first review, and he/she gave me an eye opener. Thank you kindly good person! _

Act 4: Turned on by the dead.

"Open that door already! They're coming!" Takashi barked at Kohta and Rei whom were trying to get the door open with a crowbar.

"Then help us jees! This door is locked firmly!" The red haired girl yelled back at him. How could he simply order her around? They had made him the leader, but that didn't mean that he was the actual… commander. At least, according to her it didn't.

"Takashi-kun. There are only five of them. I think I'm enough to handle it." Suddenly came from the all too familiar voice. He looked the pale girl in her eyes, and was immediately convinced, forgetting about her injury he nodded.

"Right, please be careful Saeko-san."

"Always." She grinned. Takashi hadn't the time to watch her fight. He went to the couple and asked Saya if she could help them. With the four of them they tried to crack open the lock. It had been closed by a quality lock. You know? One of those you see in the movies. Even with the strength of all four of them they were unable to do as much as even scratch the lock. Opening it with a gunshot was out of the question. For they would ruin this chance of a safe haven. It was now that he heard the sharp noise of a blade being drawn from it's sheet. He looked over his shoulders and saw the beginning of yet another carnage. Not that it really mattered… she'd be okay. And her clothes were already as dirty as they could possibly be anyways. But because of his lack of attention they failed yet another attempt to bust the lock.

"Takashi! Pay attention to the matter at hand would you!" was yelled at him by both Saya and Rei.

"Right, sorry."

As they gave it yet another shot they heard the slashing sounds behind their ears. It was over before they had noticed it, and just as Saeko had finished her bloody business they heard the lock give away.

"Finally!" "Great!" "Sugoi!" "Hahah yes!" They all yelled in symphony. Without having to say it. They all rushed through the door.

They ran inside towards the blackness of the mall. Rei and Takashi went to close the door.

"Hnnng!" She pushed with all her strength against the surprisingly heavy door and with a high pitched noise it closed. She then looked at the guy next to her, only to notice that he wasn't trying to close his side of the door just yet, but was looking outside with a smile. When she peeked around the corner it was indeed what she thought it was. She heard a soft whisper coming from Takashi but was unable to hear what he said. "What did you say?" She didn't get a response, and didn't really want one. It was more of an automatic question. She looked at the walking fountain of blood. "What is taking her so long?" She asked.

"It's safe. There's no need to worry." He replied. Turning his attention towards the beauty outside he noticed that there was something wrong. Her head was pointed towards the ground, making it night impossible to see her face. As she had refitted her skirt it seemed as if every step was an impossible barrier for the warrior. This time her hand was grabbing her injured shoulder firmly, and a thick stream of red blood ran down over her arm. "S…Saeko-san!" he yelled in panic.

"Has she been… bitten?" Rei remarked worried. She saw the girl passing by her and Takashi without saying a thing, and barely a meter beyond them she collapsed on her knees. All of them stared at her with shocked eyes. Was she becoming one of… one of them?

Takashi waited with closing the door. For he knew all to well that they would be surrounded by a black void if he were to close the their only hope of escape. He quickly scanned the parking lot for a last time, just to make sure they hadn't missed a single one of them.

"Sempai-san! Are you all right? Saya screamed at her as she immediately tried to help her up. A strict voice stopped her though.

"Saya! Get away from her. You don't know if she's…" Rei snarled at her. Yes she was worried about Busijima. But somewhere, deep inside of her heart she felt some sort of vague happiness coming up. If sempai-san was gone, then who stood in her way of a lucky life with Takashi? She swallowed the thought, for she realized all to well that is was completely wrong to think like that. Yet,… it kept sitting there in the back of her head. '

"Don't be crazy Rei! Of course she isn't bitten! Saya yelled back. She wiped the hair from Saeko's sweaty face. Only to see an extremely pale, and almost lifeless face. Not lifeless as in almost dead, but lifeless as in no emotions. Yes, Saeko had never been a Mary sue. Quite the opposite actually. Yet her beautiful and rather cold face had never been as emotionless as it was now. She was panting heavily and was having obvious troubles to not fall down to the ground.

"Saeko-san! Are you still with us?" Saya didn't really get a response. Only a faint smile, yet that was enough to reassure her.

Takashi came running back from the door now. And he immediately sat down with Saya and Saeko. "Is she all right? Can she still talk? What hap…"

"Calm down Takashi! " Rei threw at him with a gentle voice. "She's going to be… okay."

"I know she is. We all know that!" _Please let me be right for one time in my life! _

Shizuka knew that she had to do something right this very moment. She ordered Kohta to pay attention to Alice-chan and ran towards the scene. Semi-pushing Takashi away by performing an almost movie like slide to her patient. "Get her a bed already!" She yelled, knowing all to well that they simply didn't have one. Her attention turned towards Rei, who was the only one of them who wasn't doing anything. "Try if you can find something for her to sleep on!"

Not seeing the sudden question Miyamoto was caught of guard. "What? But, It's completely dark in there?"

"WE don't have a whole lot of choice! There will have to be some light switches! Just be fast!" The blonde ordered her. Her sudden shift from her usual naïve self, to a doctor was fascinating.

"I can't go in there alone? What if they are in here as well?"

"Rei! I'll go with you! I'll be of more use out there then here!" Takashi replied. He stood up and walked towards Rei, and away from Saeko, with great difficulty I might add. He closed his eyes and felt his lids getting damp. He swallowed up his sadness and looked Rei in the eyes with as much confidence as he could gather. He heard the yelling of their nurse behind him, but he knew what to do. And he was going to do it no matter what.

"We'll be back as soon as we can! Prepare the car, just in case there prove to be too many of them." He saw the rest of his friend nodding but couldn't help to add the last thing. "All of you… please, keep her alive." Without waiting for a response he grabbed Rei by the hand and walked towards the pitch black.

"Takagi-kun, could you and Kohta keep her company?" Miss Shizuka asked. "I'll be getting the vehicle and prepare it for take off, just in case." Without waiting for them to agree or disagree she was gone. This was her at her best, and doing what she did best. She loved her profession and would go out of her ways to keep her patients, and more importantly, friends alive.

Not accepting reality, Saeko made one last vain attempt to act as if it was nothing. This was of course, totally useless. "Y-… I'm.. fine." She panted out with her stubborn head. And as soon as she tried to stand up she fell back into Saya's and Kohta's arms. She looked at Alice, and even though all her eyes allowed her to see was a vague blur. She knew all too well that she had to comfort her, for the poor child had already lost her father and there was no way she'd let her lose another loved one. "Ali…ce-chan. Don't… worry *coughs* … okay?" Everything went black now. And the last thing she heard was the little girl responding with a loud "Hai!"

"Just take your phone already. We'll have some light at the very least." Kumoro asked.

"Right." She grabbed her phone and with the dim light emitting from it they were able to find their way through the heaps of useless stuff they came across.

"Do you think she's been bitten?" Rei asked him doubtfully.

"No. Of course not. Back on the bridge one of them was able to land a direct hit on her shoulder. I don't know how it caused a cut like that, but she hasn't been bitten. She explicitly told me that!"

"She might be lying. It's not easy to admit such a thi…"

"Don't be crazy. Saeko-san isn't a person for that."

"You barely know her. How can you speak for her?"

This almost snapped something inside of Takashi. He was perfectly able to retain his calm however.

"I … don't know. Come one, let's just find the stuff we need." They had been here countless times before, but in the dark it was a completely different surrounding. Luck was shining upon them at this point however, for they had been walking directly towards a store called –Beter Bed.-

"I still think that that sounds retarded." He joked.

"Shihi, yeah. Must be some lame language from the west." She tried to laugh with Takashi again. But it was easily noticeable that he wasn't really paying attention to her at the moment. It annoyed her… it really did. Had he just forgotten about her like that? Even whilst they almost had sex back at the Takagi's manor? She knew for sure they'd be together back then. What had happened? Why did it all go this fast? _It has to be Sempai… what had she told him?_

"Rei! Help me out here! It's quite heavy!" She was shaken out of her barrage of thoughts when he called for her.

"_yes… of course!" _Rei carried the blankets and Takashi the mattress.

"Right, if one of them pops up immediately warn me. I can barely see what I'm doing with this thing in front of me."

"Then why do you carry it like that!"

"It's the easiest way!"

"Shihi, suhure."

They tried to navigate their way through the countless beds that were on display. And after some tripping, struggling and cursing they had found their way out.

"Takashi! UHm…"

"Hmm?" He looked at the girl behind him with a surprised look. "We need to hurry Rei. What is it?"

"Uhm.. Back at the Takagi Manor we…"

"Rei! Another time. Not now!" He knew he was being a complete jackass. But come on.. what was he to do? There was a life at risk. When he saw her surprised face, he blew a kiss with his lips. He didn't mean it, but he knew that it would soften her up a bit. It did indeed. He saw her blush a bit though the faint white light of her cell phone. She obviously didn't feel uncomfortable about it. In fact, she took it a whole lot more serious than she should have. _ Phew… I was indeed seeing things._

"Saya, take of her shirt!" The nurse yelled whilst wetting an apron that randomly lay in the humvee. She had ripped it to shreds for it would serve as a perfect towel.

"Hai." She starting to carefully unbutton the bloodied shirt, as she noticed the crack shot putting up a perverted smile. "You fat nerd! How can you!" She pushed him away. Go play with Alice-chan or something!"

"Auh uhm… Okay!" He replied while trying to act all happy and as if he didn't care. But gosh… did he miss something nice here. He and Alice went inside the humvee, and he closed the door. The sounds were blocked out, which gave him and the little child a chance to relax and laugh a bit.

It was now that Takashi and Rei returned. To the amusement of the two girls who were still treating the unconscious Saeko.

"Takashi, lay it down here." He did as he was told, then looked at the face of their blade master. Their blade master, but his happiness. Even though she had left them for the time being, it gave him some rest. At least she didn't feel the pain anymore. His eyes gazed down just a little bit, but that was enough for him to notice her exposed bra and flat tummy. He immediately looked away and tried not to think of … dirty things.

"Takashi! Lay her on the bed!"

"Wh… whut?"

"You heard me! Now do it!'

"Right away!" _Awkward moment!_

He immediately walked towards her and lifted her from the ground like a groom did with his bride.

_He's… a bit too amused. _Rei thought to herself. She saw Saeko's body against his. Even though it was only faintly and probably unintentionally. Her breasts seemed to be touching his body with every step he took, and his arms did little to make it look like less of an annoyance to Rei, for he held the girl tightly against him indeed..

_He has no choice… he has no choice… he has no… oh god._ She knew that there was very little he could do about it. But every part of her body that touched his, was one part to much. _He loves me… not her. Me, not her. That's right._

"Put her down here." Shizuka ordered.

"Of… yes of course!" He slowly laid her down on the mattress. As he had to remove his hands from her body he noticed himself doubting. He just wanted to … touch her. Even though she was unconscious. _Pfff, come on! Everyone can be perverted at some point in their lifes!"_ He let his hand glide slowly past her inner leg and past her neck as he put her down. Rei obviously covered her immediately with the blankets and showed some sudden enthusiasm to help out.

"Thank you! Now leave it to me!" The nurse spoke in an almost heroic tone.

"Of course Miss Shizuka-san." _Did that unconscious body just turn me on… Please let no one notice. It's as if… the dead turn me on. Am I… turned on by the dead?_

_Right. This wasn't that long either. Next chapter will most likely be quite a bit longer but I promise nothing. I hope you're still enjoying it. Any criticism is welcomed and used to learn. And any compliments are loved of course. Next chapter will be what I actually wanted to do in this chapter. The Rei/Takashi. Saeko/Rei. And of course Seako/takashi conversations and maybe more. I'm also planning on Kohta and Saya but… I'm more interested in Takashi and Saeko. They'll get their luck obviously though. _

_I wish you all a very happy Christmas!_


	5. We are not dead

_Well, it's Christmas! So I'll probably finish this chapter one of these days. I can't promise anything! At any rate. Oh and before I forget. I thank all of you guys and girls who've followed this story and reviewed it. Be is a positive or negative review. Sooo… thanks guys and girls!_

_I don't own highschool of the dead. All rights belong to it's original author and animators. _

**Act 5: We are not dead yet. **

"Some rest… at last." He grunted in pleasure as he sat down on the soft mattress he had gone and get for himself. They all had one now, as they had made the entrance their home for at the very least one day. Kohta ,Saya and Alice had made their place immediately in front of the car, and the exit. Shizuka slept inside of the humvee. And Rei and Takashi slept in the beds next to Saeko.

The mood was grim. Very much so actually. After the events of the last few days everyone was strained and tired. Especially now that they were once again given some time to think about their situation.

They'd been in the mall for a quarter of the day now and everyone felt demoralized because of the emptiness outside and the blackness inside. Saeko Busujima was fast asleep, as her entire body was fighting against her infected shoulder. She had been in luck for she didn't become one of them most likely because it was another infection. Whatever it was, it hurt. It hurt as hell. As for something to tackle Saeko and keep her down had to have been blessed with enormous strength. Covered in blankets, the wound cleaned and constantly watched. She'd survive. As long as the situation remained stable that was.

( Right, this means flashback from now on. I tried to do it with stripes. But fanfiction doesn't support that.)

"Takagi-kun. Hand me the water please."

"Right."

"Towel, then give me the knife."

"Sure, here you go."

"Thanks. You're helping me out a great deal." The blonde nurse smiled.

"No problem at all. WE all want her to make it through."

Takashi and Rei watched from a distance. "Rei. You wanted to talk?" He suddenly remarked.

"Uhm yes.. well."

"Please, speak your mind. I could use some distraction right now." He knew what is was going to be about and he knew he didn't want that kind of conversation. Yet… everything was better than watching a knife cutting Saeko… even though it was for her own good. So he figured he'd just play daft and act as if he didn't see her question coming.

"About… back at the Takagi manor. Have you thought about what I told you?"

"I… I wanted to. But we simply didn't have the time yet. Like I said before… I don't know whether I should be happy or sad because of what you said."

"Why would you be mad about it? Isn't that what we both… want?"

He didn't know what to say. And in the heat of the scene, and mostly without thinking about it he replied: "Yeah… I think it is. But let's not… I mean… we still have to go and check on our parents."

She however, was elated. _He still loves me! Phew "…_I'm sorry, what did you say?"

"That we still have to see our parents' houses. Your house is about a ten minute walk without difficulties. Mine is … I suppose 15 minutes. We'll secure a foothold in this mall and well… try to make a base of operations. Then we'll go and see them as soon as possible." He was happy he had managed to switch the subject this fast. And she caught the bait.

Takashi stood up and hinted Kohta to follow him. "Rei, we'll be right back. I want to show him something."

"Right… I'll go with you." He didn't want that. He wanted to have some fun with Kohta, for he figured he had seen something which would loosen them up a bit.

"What is it Takashi?" Kohta asked. On which Takashi happily answered:

"You'll see!"

The three of them walked alongside the right wall towards the nearest shop. Takashi had already been there so he was sure there were non of them in the area. "Uhm Rei, Could you stay here then please? It's something for boys only!"

"Huh? Why… are it porn magazines?"

"What? Nonono, of course not!" He sputtered out.

"Sigh… I'll stay here. Just don't take too long." She wanted to go with them. Staying close to Takashi, and making sure he'd bond some more with her again was what she really wanted.

The two boys entered the store. Takashi turned on the light switch and told Kohta to wait at the television in front of the storage cabin.

"I'll be right back. You'll enjoy this!" He went towards the dark part of the store and seemed to disappear for a bit. The chubby boy heard some noise coming from objects being moved and boxes being opened. He felt awkward standing here all alone and leaving Rei outside. He noticed all too well that Takashi seemed to resent her more an more. Well, resent was too big of a word. But it explained the truth the most. _He's so lucky. Rei Miyamoto and Busujimia Saeko. Even Saya-san likes him… and who do I have? No one… Maybe I can… if I talk a bit with her and say the right things. She said something about that she trusted me with her life right_? He was snapped out of his thoughts when he heard Takashi's voice coming closer again.

"Kohta! Prepare to be happy!" He laughed. He himself was excited as well, they were still boys after all and the thoughts of knights, pirates and brave adventurers hadn't completely left their minds. When he came walking back into the light he was carrying with him a big box which eyed quite heavy but seeing that he could easily carry it proved that thought busted.

"Wh… what is that?"

"Haha, here. Open it!" He laid down the box between them and made sure Rei wasn't watching. "Shh, we are going to use these things for us alone. They don't have too know… they'll just ruin it with their girly hands. Promise me that?"

"I promise you! Now show me what it is!" He said in a hurry. He had been made excited successfully.

Rei tried to listen to the boys from outside of the store but couldn't hear anything of what they were saying. She sighed and smiled in herself. I'll just let them have their fun time. She walked back towards the entrance and sat down next to Saya.

"Is this a? Oh…"

"My…" Takashi spoke before Kohta could do so.

"God. Hahahah Takashi you hero!" He opened up the box completely and only just now noticed the obvious markings on it. He put his hands into the box and took out a shining black device. Takashi took the two controllers that came with it.

"A… play… station. I'd have never thought that… that…. I'd be playing that in these times!"

Takashi looked at the elated scharpshooter, whom eyed almost like a baby at the sight of this platform. Actually, it made him feel happy as well. People have that… influence on each other. They copy the feelings from the ones next to them.

"Let's plug it in!"

"Saya. Get some rest, I'll watch over Sempai-san. "

"Are you sure? Where did the boys go off to?"

"They went to some store… Takashi wanted to show something to Kohta. Told me not to enter… So I guess we can guess what it is."

"Haha… yes. Dirty old perverts."

"Just go and take a nap in my bed. I have some things to think about."

The genius hesitated for a bit. _Why does she want this so suddenly? Ah what am I thinking. Saeko is a good friend of all of us. _

As Saya went to get some sleep she couldn't help but to peek at the store were Takashi and Kohta were. She didn't know why but some part of her was relieved by that fact that they were having fun.

Rei looked at the sleeping girl next to her. Covered by two blankets it must have been smoking hot underneath but not a single drop of sweat was to be spotted on her front head. Was this their great fighter? Was this the thing that was busy with taking Takashi from her? _The unbreakable sempai-san. Broken by a single hit? Even I was able to take a hit of them… What's with this girl anyways? Just rushing in every time we come across them and endangering us all. .. I'm not being fair.. Of course she isn't endangering us. If it wasn't for her we'd all be goners by now. Or worse… we'd be one of them. But… no matter those things. She'd better stop talking to Takashi. _

As she stared at the sleeper with an angry face her thoughts got more aggressive with each passing second. It remained like this for a few minutes until the soft sound of footsteps reached her ears.

"Takashi? Kohta-kun?" No, these footsteps came from the other side. _Oh shit, where are the others?_ She looked at Saya and noticed that the girl had heard it as well. Both of them had readied their firearms and were prepared to shoot as soon as they'd see something. Yet, nothing reached their eyes. Nothing but that almost fake-like darkness. "Takagi-kun! Do you see something? "

"It's Saya for you! And no I don't see anything, nor do I hear any voices. Can they be…? TAKASHI!, KOHTA! It's not funny!" She yelled without thinking.

"Saya! Keep your voice down!" Rei gazed towards the darkness and thought that she saw a couple of shadows moving just in front of her. "Are they? Shit! Saya, get back!" As soon as a small beam of light fell on top of the approaching shades the horror became real again. Why weren't they groaning like all the others? The two girls ran back towards the humvee and jumped on top of it completely forgetting about the fact they had a friend laying unconscious.

"Rei!" The red head looked at the genius and saw her pointing at Sempai. Not more than four metres removed from the drowsing girl were they, those noiseless shades.

"Saya! Shoot, shoot shoot!" In panick and powerlessness they aimed, pulled the triggers and shot their guns at the approaching hordes.

"haha I got you now!"

"Oh no you don't! Square, square , square… Ah come on!"

"Tsk tsk tsk. Takashi, you need a lot of practise before you could ever defeat me."

"Hey now, I almost had you."

"Almost had me? You were far from –almost- having me. I was… What was that?"

"I heard it to!" Takashi replied. "Was that Rei?" They figured they heard a loud girly scream reaching their ears. Without hesitation they took up their arms and ran towards the entrance and towards their friends. As soon as they left the store behind gun shots were heard and seen as the flashes that came from their barrels gave a short burst of light every time the gun was fired. "Kohta! Stay behind me!" Were the last words they shared before they ran towards yet another confrontation with their future.

"Saya!, I can barely see them! Let alone hit them in the head! We need to lure them in the light!"

"We can't! Keep firing! we need to protect Saeko-san!" These words struck Rei like a brick to the head. She stopped firing her rifle and looked around in panic. Saya, firing her gun randomly towards the approaching horde. Shikuza struggling to remove the safety of her colt as she opened the backdoor to shoot from. And Rei? She stood there. Idle, silent and clueless. "T…Takashi-kun. Whe.. where are you?" The screeching voice of the pink haired girl awakened her and they both immediately realized what they had to do. "Quick! Distract them!""

"Wait Saya! They won't attack Sempai! She doesn't make any sound!"

"We can't risk that! Go already!"

"Right, YAAAAA!"

Round after round was fired, tension turned to stress, and hope to despair. As they were simply unable to stop the approaching shadows. It was nigh impossible to make a headshot in this darkness and stress as the sun was disappearing behind the horizon. One of them came dangerously close to the dormant girl and as it raised its hands and opened its mouth, time stood still for Miyamoto, Shizuka, Alice and Takagi.

For someone else however, everything just seemed to move incredibly slow except for himself. He raced towards the girl with all the strength he could muster. Sprinting towards Saeko, step for step, the longer it took him to reach her the more the rage inside of his veins began to burst. And with all of his body weight, strength and willpower he swung his hilt at it. Everyone saw it happening, everyone except Saeko Busujima herself of course. All of their eyes opened widely as they followed the ark of the swing. For the friends it appeared as if every single source of sound faded away and only that long, powerful and secretely extremely fast swing produced sound. Of course, what would happen next was kind of obvious. A loud crack followed by the dull sound of a body tumbling to the ground. It twitched for a bit and finally lay completely still. It was dead… again?

The four girls were engulfed by happiness even though they knew it wasn't over yet. Rei and Saya jumped down and tried to deal with the remaining things. Their morale had been significantly increased by the fact that Saeko had been saved and their –reinforcements- had arrived. "Takashi! Takashi!" Rei ran towards the boy, without really thinking it over she wanted to hug him. Even though there were still some of them approaching she felt like thanking him. Why exactly? He had only saved… Sempai? She knew that she didn't really hate Saeko. How could she hate someone whom was sleeping? Or did she hate him? _If only he would say those three forsaken words. Rei Myamoto… I love you. How hard can it be?_

"REI! SAYA! WHY THE HELL DID YOU SHOOT?" He yelled at them as he prepared himself for swinging his gun yet again. He scared the two girls who both staggered for a bit at his sudden imposing voice, before they continued fending them off.

"Ta… Takashi… WE HAD NO CHOICE!" She jumped forwards and drove the bayonet into a cheek, followed up by a loud gunshot through the head. The body flew backwards and fell lifeless on the ground. The one behind her received a kick to it's neck with all her body weight behind it. Followed up by a deep cut from her bayonet through its head. "THEY WOULD HAVE KILLED SEMPAI!"

Takashi didn't respond. There was no time. Before he was able to open his mouth he found himself forced to back step and run back few subtle meters. He looked around and saw Kohta placing himself on top of the humvee, followed by Saya who had also fallen back towards the vehicle. He and Rei found themselves standing next to Saeko now. As he looked around and saw their hopeless situation he knew what to do. And that order was an easy one to give. "Kohta! We have no choice! FIRE!"

His words didn't go unnoticed. Immediately hew saw them falling down in a hail of fire that came from his semi-automatic baby. "Rei, now! Aim for their heads!"  
>"Hai!" She and he opened fire as well. His shotgun shooting down multiple opponents at once, reinforced by the precision shots from Rei's gun. Saya and Shizuka didn't feel like doing nothing and they opened fire as well. In a flurry of bullets and sweat the approaching danger started to fall. Many shots were wasted that day as the pitch dark only got worse as time passed by. But only after about seven minutes of non stop action with both melee and long ranged combat it came to an end. As the echo of the last bullet faded away into nothingness and they realized that they had –won- it wasn't happiness that overtook them. It was anger and exhaustion.<p>

"*pants* *pants* Okay… HOW did it come to this?" Takashi spurted out whilst trying hard to regain his breath.

"We… we don't know. They were suddenl…" Spoke Rei. As she was the only one that could muster the courage to respond.

"Rubbish! We have been here for over seven hours now. They would have come towards us immediately." He was mad. Furious was a word better suited. They had almost lost Busujima in this fight weren't it for the fact that he was there just in time.

"Takashi! There's no.. need *pants* to get mad at us! We don't know what lured them here. For all we know they could have followed us from the bridge."

She tried to calm him down. But she already knew that it wasn't that easy.

Rei had known him for practically her whole life so she knew all to well that he'd be mad at them and himself for quite some time.

"Takashi, we didn't fire our guns until we had to." Saya interrupted as well. She was joined by Shizuka whom nodded. Kohta had taken Alice in his arms and whispered something in the girls' ears. Probably just to distract her from the angry guy in front of them.

Takashi closed his eyes and knew all too well that he couldn't get mad now. It'd be dangerous at a time like this. Instead he breathed heavily and looked at Rei. "Rei… we almost lost Saeko today. If we can't even protect our wounded then we're in for some serious trouble."

"We ALMOST lost her. But we didn't. We were able to protect ourselves. What's your problem Takashi? We all did what we had to. It's not just you! Gosh.. you're always so egoistic."

As soon as these words reached his ears he lost it. She had once again done it. Again she had hit his weak spot and that was judging about his behaviour. _ What does she know? Am I egoistic? It's she who is… _"SHUT UP! That's totally out of context!"

"It's not! You don't even care about the reason we shot! All you do is justifying your own anger by blaming it on us! You and Kohta-kun were gone and we were here alone. That's even worse!"

"Is it that strange that I'm angry! We almost lost someone!"

"And that worries us all! Not just you!"

"I… You're right. I'm sorry." He didn't think she was actually right. He thought she was as wrong as she could ever be. But he simply could not find that courage he had shown before in school. He knew that if he'd talk back to her she'd lose it as well. It was bad enough that he was enraged about this. Let alone if they all entered that state.

"Just… Let's… try to move the bodies and clean the blood. We'll spend the night here and… scout the mall tomorrow."

"Yes… yes we will. It's good that you understand my point." Rei responded.

_Did she just have to add that last bit? Sigh… Rei, no matter what our future holds in store for us. Please… stop this charade of so-called wisdom._ "Yeah… it's fine Rei. Come on, let's get to cleaning this place up… Kohta, Saya. Could you two please help us? Shizuka, comfort Alice a bit would you?"

All three of them responded with a mere yes. They felt the tension in the air. Why exactly was he so mad? They had survived it didn't they? Then why…? The answer was obvious. Most likely two reasons. One: Saeko had almost died because they had all been lax. Two: He was scared. Scared that he'd lose his sanity, his friends, his love and feelings. Scared of them, and themselves. For it was indeed hard to retain your humanity in a world like this. Slaughtering tons of … people. As Takashi started moving the bodies he started thinking about it. _Are they still people? Is it a virus… like in the movies? I don't want to believe that. Movies have happy endings… and what ending do we have? We're stuck in this by godforsaken city with no clue if we can cure, or even win against them/ Of course we can win… we did it up until now? But… what do we do without Saeko? We need her… this time it were just about twenty of them? Twenty five? We need every single one of this group… but … Saeko… we need you the most. I need you the most. Please, get better soon._ _Or… at the very least… talk to me again. I need your coldness… your facts, your thoughts, your beauty… your…l-l-… _

He was suddenly called back to the real word as he tumbled over one of them laying lifeless on the ground. "Auch… ugh."

"Takashi. As clumsy as ever are we?" Saya mocked and she got a grin in return. She and Kohta were carrying the last body into the darkness and all of them were looking forward to simply laying down and sleep, chill or just doing nothing.

"AND! DONE!" The pink haired girl yawned out. Completely ignoring the fact that she had been carrying bodies. Bodies that had –died- because of their hands.

"Yatta… finally." Kohta sighed out. "Saya-san…d'erm… you shot well."

The girl looked up in surprise. She almost wanted to yell at him because that was her automated reaction to him. But this time? No… she felt happy. She felt useful because of that. "Thanks Kohta. I try my best."

"And you did a good job. I never though you were that good!"

"What you thought I was bad then?"

"Noooo… Nono of course not. I just thought you were… less good!"

"Less good? That's a strange choice of words you use. Ah well… that's what you get if you play too many games."

"I didn't play any games since two days!"

"Shihi, sure you didn't. But I mean it. Thank you Kohta-kun." She felt at a loss for words for some reason by that simple compliment. And because of that she wanted to end this conversation. "Let's get some sleep now… my legs are shaky."

Kohta agreed happily. He could definitely use some well deserved sleep.

"Takashi… let's call it a day shall we?" Rei asked him. She had already undone herself from her clothes and crawled into her sleeping bag.

"Haha I can't. We need someone to stand guard." He smiled as he said this. She looked adorable like this. And then to think that she could be such a … bitch. He knew better however. He knew that she wasn't an evil person. But it was simply that he felt… different towards her from what he had felt before.

"But… We could… *sigh* you're right. Are you sure you don't want me to keep you company?"

He grabbed her gun and laid it next to her. "Thanks Rei. But I'll be fine. You just get some sleep okay?"

The sun had now completely left the seven brave survivors and darkness shrouded them all completely.

After about thirty minutes they were all sleeping. Takashi Simply sat there. His mattress laid between Rei's and Saeko's and the only thing that kept him company was the blue light from a break light he had gotten from the humvee. He stared in front of him into some sort of abyss. For he couldn't see shit. "What am I actually watching for? Them of course but *sigh* if I see them it's already to late. Ah well, I'll probably hear them before hand." He whispered to himself. It was now that he heard some soft grumbling and moaning right next to him.

"S… Saeko-san?" He looked at the girl whom had finally moved again. She had turned on her side and her face was pointed directly towards him. She was still sleeping deeply. But at least she had moved again, and like you could have guessed it made the boy besides her very happy indeed. "Saeko, looks like I was right for once. You're going to be okay." As he spoke his words the girl moved some more. It was as if she lay incredibly uncomfortable for she was shaking her body quite wildly. It caused the blankets to move from her body reavealing her perfectly formed breasts and flat belly right in front of Takashi's teenage mind. As if her body knew this she placed her thumb in her mouth like a little babe and with that covered her body. At least… it covered it a bit.

Takashi swallowed deeply. "*coughing* Tssshaha who'd have thought that the mighty Saeko would suck her thumb like this?" He once again whispered to himself. Followed by some chuckling he kept gazing at the girl. His eyes went from her closed eyes, to her pale cheeks and tender lips. Her locks of hair that were hanging loosely in front of her face. His eyes then followed the cute thumb between her lips down her arms. Then his eyes locked themselves on the magnificent pair of breasts hidden behind her arm and bra. Her arm only made it better for him as her two friends were pressed firmly against each others. For him it looked as if they'd jump free from the restrains of her black bra anytime now and thus revealing her hidden beauties.

Of course he was turned on by the sight of them. Who wouldn't be? I mean… he wasn't that much different from any teenage boy. His thoughts went astray and everything that he could think of came and took over his mind for a mere second. He felt himself getting warm and even a bit sweaty before he was finally able to get himself to grab the blanket and pull it over the girl again. "Saeko-san… you're… beautiful Noo… stunning. Noo… gosh what am I doing. She's sleeping". Of course, she didn't notice him talking. But he'd like to think she did. He turned his head towards the darkness again but this time he was equipped with a big grin and happy… and the if not somewhat adult themed thoughts about the sleeping beauty next to him. As he looked to his left, those fantasies weren't lessened as he saw Rei laying dormant as well. "Haha, you can say what you want. But this is a gift of god."

He began to feel sleepy as well but he couldn't let himself fall asleep. He pinched himself quite hard and with one last thought he started to prepare for a long, long night. _Saeko-san… We did it. We survived and all live. Non of us have been bitten. But we need you… we really do. Maybe more then ever… I don't know why but I have a bad feeling about this mall. Yet it's our only hope. But we'll keep on going no matter what. Saeko… we're not dead yet. _

_Right that was that for this chapter. It was quite a bit longer than the ones before and I actually feel it's a bit chaotic at time. But I checked it over and over again and finally figured "Ah well, it's good like this." _

_Thanks for reading folks, and I hope to see you all again!_

_Next chapter will be quite a bit shorter. For it will most likely consist of a single long conversation. I want try try something new. ( Let two characters talk with no explanation. You know, so that you only read their lines?") If it sucks. Please tell me, and I'll add explanations and stuff._

_One love, adios all!_


	6. In my eyes you're dead

Okay, like I said. This chapter will probably be quite short. But… maybe it will not be short. Who knows. ( I type this whilst I am on page 4. Dammit… it doesn't get short. Sorry folks.)

I do not own highschool of the dead. All rights belong to its original author and animators.

**Act 6: In my eyes… you're dead. **

"What time is it now? Hmm… let me see. Sheesh… four more hours to go." Takashi was still standing guard as he didn't feel like waking up the others to do it for him. In the meantime he amused himself by trying to keep warm underneath the blankets he had wrapped around himself. The blue light, as strange as it was at first, had now become a friendly sight. For one subtle minute he had left his post to take a break and obey to his imminent urges to use a bathroom. On his way to the nearest corner he had found an old game of Yathzee and the dices provided by the game offered him some vague sort of amusement to keep him busy in the darkness of the night.

"Pff.. let's see. Full house? Haha great… now for my last turn. Come on come on come on!" He let the dice fly from his hand and prayed for five times the same number. As they fell to the ground the five cubes rolled, fell still and showed their numbers. "3,3,3, 6 and a 1. I've got two more throws left!" He took the 6 and 1 and threw them again. "show me the perfect score!" They rolled, stopped, and revealed. "Hmm.. 5 and 2. One more shot!" With his last throw the tension got quite high for him. He had almost scored the maximum. Full house, small street, big street, three of a kind, 4 of each with all numbers. All he needed was five of the same.

"Please please please!" The first dice stopped. "Yes a three! Come on, just one more! Show me the power baby!" He didn't realize he was talking out loud, and wasn't it for the fact that they were all exhausted beyond measure he would've surely scared them out of their sleep. The last one rolled, spinned, bumped against his feet and finally stopped.

It had completely disappeared underneath his blanket and he knew for sure he was going to change the number if he moved too much. "No… why? I almost beat this game! Where is it?" He tried to search for it as gently as possible. "Nooo… no no no, not fair! This is a once in a lifetime opportunity!" He began squirming as the found himself almost tumbling over because of the big blanket wrapped around him. "Hnnh,, hmm, tsss, woosh." He almost gave up as it simply seemed to have vanished somewhere in his blankets. That was, up until the point he suddenly heard a giggle from behind him.

"Hmm, Rei?" As he tried to turn his head around he fell forwards face first. Luckily the mattress broke his fall. That soft giggling had now switched to a laugh he recognized all to well. He struggled with getting on his knees again

"S-s… Saeko-san?" As he closed his eyes to check if he wasn't dreaming he noticed the girls' gazing eyes as soon as he opened his' again. "Saeko!" He was engulfed with that feeling of happiness you get when you haven't seen a good friend, or your love interest for a year or more. He crawled back to the other side of the bed and looked her in the eyes. Those blue eyes, given even more stimulation by the blue light shining upon them.

"Takashi-kun. Good evening." She yawned out. The yawn was followed by a grin that made his day complete. As she had thrown the blankets from her upper body Takashi felt his eyes gazing at her breasts for just a fraction of a second. No matter his lust, it didn't interest him at the moment. All he wanted was Saeko's voice and personality. Not her breasts. He grinned, then smiled and at last laughed. He heard Rei grumbling something but it were probably just some words without content for she was still fast asleep.

Neither of them really knew what to say at this point. Were words really needed? They both felt the same. A spark inside of them had been ignited the moment they locked eyes.

"It was a three." She finally spurted out because of the lack of talking material.

He was still grinning and scratching the backside of his head. As soon as she spoke however his attention went to its maximum again. "A three?"

"Yes, a three. With the game you were playing?"

"Oh.. yo… you heard that? That was erm… well… did I really throw a three?" He blushed. He didn't want her to have heard him whilst he was playing a game all alone.

"Yes you did." she showed him her hand, and in that soft palm there was indeed a dice with three dots on top of it.

"Haha… ha! That means I.. won the game. How long have you been watching?"

"Long enough to hear your little speeches." She giggled out.

"Yeah well… You are just hallucinating. I would never do such a thing. Pfff."

He saw the girl laugh and it warmed his heart. He was frantic when she had fallen on her knees this day. From the moment Shizuka had bandaged her shoulder and cleaned the wound he had been looking forward to this point. The point of looking into her sparkling eyes and having the pleasure to witness her unusual beautiful face laugh, blush, and frown at his remarks.

She offered him the dice carefully with her left hand. It was only now that she noticed that her right hand was wrapped in bandages and was unable to move because of the knots Shizuka had placed. It was also at this point that she noticed that she was only still wearing her undergarments and her entire top was revealed. Her eyes panicked, and as she looked up to Takashi she noticed that he saw it as well, and in her eyes he DID eye interested. She started to blush intensely and immediately grabbed the blanket to cover herself up.

"I… Y… I'm still a woman!" She told him yet again. It wasn't really something she liked, when boys would observe her body without her permission. Not that she minded it when Takashi did it, quite the opposite actually. It simply was a matter of pride. And such exposure was embarrassing in her eyes.

"I know I know! I'm.. sorry." Because he didn't know what to do at the moment he picked up the dice and smiled at her. "Thank you. You saved my perfect game."

Her face still felt warm, nevertheless she responded eagerly. "It was my pleasure." He hadn't thrown a three. It was a two. But she knew that it'd make him happy. And she would do everything to make him happy. Be it little things or big ones. Why? Because she was afraid. Afraid of being too cold and thus putting him off. Afraid of being too bossy, and too terrifying.

"Miss Saeko-san. Would you do me the honour of playing a game with me?" He knew all to well that he should try to convince her that she needed more sleep. But at the moment, he just wanted to share a moment with her. Alone, and happy.

"A… game?" The question felt strange to her.

"Yes! You saw me playing it didn't you? I'd like… to play it with you?"

"Hehe, Takashi-kun. I like how you call me Miss when you're about to say something your think of as ridiculous. Mister Takashi-san. It'd be my honor."

"Haha, great! Here, let me sit next to you."

"No." He opened his eyes out of surprise. He didn't expect that answer. "I'll sit next to you. You'd sit on my right site and that would… hurt?" Of course she realized how girly and stupid she was sounding. Maybe it was because she simply didn't have any experience with flirting. It was completely new to her and this was just her way of doing things? Her worries faded away as she saw him grin. Those worries were replaced by haunting thoughts. _Is he faking that smile?_ Quite clumsily she moved herself from the one mattress to the other, making sure to not reveal any of her body parts again.

She sat down right next to him. Actually trying to keep some distance between the two of them but ended up sitting practically against him as the only thing that was separating them were the blankets. It was because of Rei she felt shy. What if she'd wake up and see the two of them sitting that way? She couldn't do that to her. She looked at the dices in front of them, then to Takashi's head whom was staring to her as well.

"Saeko-san… uhm. It's good… to… have you back."

She obviously already knew that he was glad about that. Nevertheless the words were good to hear. "And I'm glad to be back here. Here, with you and the others." She saw his lips smiling for a mere second as she spoke these words.

"Do you know this game?" He asked, just to keep the chat rolling.

"Hmm… it's something like poker with dice right?"

"UHm… not quite. But the scoring combinations yes. Do you play poker?"

"Then I think I'll figure this game out soon enough. I... didn't. But my mother and father allowed me to watch them play at times."

He knew better than to ask about her parents now.

"Well, then I'll go first. So you can at least see how it works." He grabbed the dice and rolled. To his surprise and her amusement the numbers of the dice were, 1,2,3,5 and 6. "Right… bad luck. I'll throw better now." He grabbed the five and six, and threw again. 6 and 6 this time.

"Didn't you beat this game Takashi-kun?" She mocked him.

"Pfff. Haha." He threw the two dice again. 4 And 5 were the results this time. "There we go! Big street." He saw her looking at the dice quite seriously.

"Takashi. Did anybody get hurt?" She suddenly asked whilst grabbing the dice.

"I knew that that question would come.,, *sigh* Saeko… I'm not going to talk around the facts..." He saw her eyes opening and quickly finished his sentence as she was probably thinking that one of them had died. "… and I realized that we can't survive without you. We need you. No… nobody got hurt. But it was a close call. And… I think… I need you."

"I'm…"

"Don't be. It's not your fault. If anyone is to blame it's me. I left them just to play a game with Kohta-kun. If Only I had been there… I could have.,.. I could have…" He was interuped by a hand on his shoulder and Saeko's face next to his face. He could practically feel her lips on his ears as she whispered:

" Takashi, stop blaming yourself. You're doing the best you can with what little we have. We all have our qualities. If one of us passes away the others won't make it through. That last part… especially goes for you." He shivered at her warm breath making a foothold in his ear. Saeko let the dice fall from her hands whilst he was completely focussing on her words. _She's right… she always is. _"Saeko… I… don't know… Thank you." They heard the dice stopping their movements and they both stopped talking and turned their heads to see the result of her powerless throw.

"That's… five threes." She said whilst trying hard to hold back laughter. She looked at him and saw his dropped jaw and opened eyes.

"That's…. that's…. not fair. How did you just? Your first try and…." He purred whilst whispering some unrecognizable words. All to the amusement of the soul next to him. Biting her own lips she struggled to not laugh out loud. Little did she knew how deep asleep they all were.

"Hey stop it! You haven't won yet!"

"Oh haven't I? Isn't five of the same… similar to all-in?"

"Is it? Noo! I don't know… there were no rules included. I just remembered these." He heard her laughing softly through her lips with those cute and cold tunes who went by the name of Saeko's voice. It felt the same as the laughter she had shown him back in the temple and it warmed his heart. In fact, it warmed his entire body with a heat of passion like it had never done before.

Because of the fact that she was amused he automatically laughed as well. These little moments of innocent fun and love were the things they cherished most in times like these. For they were rare moments indeed. After a few subtle minutes they had stopped joking and tried to continue a decent conversation of some sort but find themselves at a lack of words.

Between different topics they threw the dice and found themselves going neck to neck and getting quite lucky with their throws. An hour had passed before they had finally finished the game.

"Looks like I win Saeko-san."

"Did you count correctly Takashi? I am still allowed my last turn."

"What? Oh… you're right. But I have a 20 points lead. And all possibilities you have left are 1's. So I win!"

"Hmm…" She rolled the dice three times and had three 1's in total. "There, I win."

"What?"

"I win."

"But, you only get two points for that roll."

"You forget about the bonus Takashi-kun. It says here that I g…" She saw him sigh and smile. He raised his arms and placed them behind his head and admitted defeat.  
>"Yeah yeah… Seems I lose. I'm not surprised though. You're Busujima Saeko."<p>

It was funny to her, that he actually thought that she was better than him at about everything. Yet it also was something that made her worry. As he gathered the dice to put them in his pocket he was stopped by Saeko's hand yet again. Her hand felt extremely cold yet vaguely warm in the same time. She gently squeezed his hand and prepared to give him yet another compliment of some sort, only to be stopped by Takashi's other hand which had found it's way to her neck. She shivered as his cold touch moved softly over her neck.

'Ta…Takashi. Remember my next words okay?" All he did was give her a nod but that was enough. "I… no… all of us. Have placed our trust in your hands. I know that it isn't fair and it might even be to big of a burden for you. But… I.. want you to know. That… even though I may not always prove worthy for your support. I will be here to help you out whenever I can. You took care of me after knowing my darkest secret. You took care of me after I wanted to give up. I will not forget that. Never. And if you ever find yourself in trouble… or in doubt. Know that we'll be here for you. Know that… I… am here for you. Takashi-kun, you may not know it but you are the most important member of our group. You have a share of each quality the rest of us excel at. Strength, wit, courage, passion, innocence, love. I… I really want you to know that you're you. And that's the best thing you can be right now." She wasn't good at this. In fact, she was bad at it and knew all too well how clumsy and out of character her little speech had been for him. But it came from the bottom of her heart, and in the end… wasn't that what counted?

Takashi at his turn felt a mixture of feelings. Happiness, pride, love. Her every word hit him like a spike through the chest. But it had been good spikes. "S-saeko." His blood flew through his veins and his heart pumped out of his chest. What had she done to him? Whatever it was, he loved it. His cheeks as red as they could be and his hand shivering, he didn't really know how to respond.

"Thanks but… you do me too much honour. It's you who keeps this group alive… not me. You got hurt because of me." This response annoyed her a little.

"Takashi, have you heard my words?"

"Y-yeah. Of course I have."

"You have no reason to doubt them do you?" She felt his hand moving alongside her neck and was pulled a little closer whilst he was now sitting firmly against her.

"Saeko… this time it might not mean anything to you but… Thank you. I want you to know the same… that no matter what. I'll… be there for you. Never again, will you get hurt."

"You don't have to return the compliment Takashi."

"I'm not doing that. I'm saying what I want to say and what my heart tells me."

That came unexpected. Did he mean that? "Takashi… I,…"

"Hmm?" He had thrown off his blanket so he was free to move his body the way he wanted. The cold had completely disappeared for him anyways.

"I … like you." She suddenly spoke out of the blue. He chuckled as he saw her red and doubtful face. As if he didn't know that yet.

"Saeko-san, I like… you too." Finally, he had said it. She immediately looked up and locked eyes. Now that they had both jumped the first barrier they felt as if all difficulties were already traversed. And at this point they were indeed conquered. That would be until the others would know.

He saw her eyes getting damp and before giving a hint or saying anything he planted his lips on hers again. But this time it was different. This time it was much more… real. As she wanted to hug him she had completely forgotten that she had only one arm to use at the moment, and she need that for balance. He hugged her carefully yet greedy at the same time. Making sure not to touch her shoulder he massaged her back with one hand whilst the other playfully rubbed her hair.

This kiss felt exactly the same as a first kiss. It was special, it felt weird yet so incredibly comfortable at the same time.

They both squealed softly and breathed heavily. Her other hand now made her way towards his back and held him firmly so she wouldn't fall. But with this movement she stopped with holding the blanket that was covering her. As it was falling down, she also realized that what they were doing was incredibly unfair.

She pulled herself back from his lips with great difficulty for she didn't want it to stop at all. She wanted to remain one with him for the rest of the evening. He didn't insist, nor was he difficult about it. He knew all too well why she was breaking the kiss and he would've done the same weren't it for the fact that she simply tasted that great. Not only tasted, but her fragrance and soft skin were a blessing to his body.

But of course… they couldn't be making out next to Rei.

"Takashi… I'm sorry but..."

"No no, I get it. *sigh* I shouldn't have kissed you next to her. It's completely irrational… or something."

"Don't apologize. Please.." She leaned in for what was meant to be just a soft kiss but turned out to be the most intense one yet. As he suddenly guided her back to lay down on the mattress he leaned above her without breaking the kiss a single time. A wave of excitement flew through their bodies like a flood wave.

Her eyes opened widely as his tongue found its way through her lips. A small yet loud moan escaped her mouth because of the surprise. She didn't resist let alone try to get him out. It felt weird, for a minute even gross. But she knew all too well who it was that was inside her mouth so she didn't really mind. Knowing that she had to do at least something back, she engaged in a battle of tongues which lasted for quite a few minutes. Strength against stamina, him against her. It felt great, new and good. It was the start of a connection without boundaries. That's what they thought, that's what they wanted.

As soon as the two of them broke their kiss to regain their breath they knew that no matter how hard it would be, that had to stop this. He gave her one more soft kiss on the lips before he grabbed the blanket and put it over her softly and slowly. For he surely hadn't forgotten about her wound, and stunning body yet.

"Saeko, sleep. You still need to rest. I'll stay awake and stand guard."

She grinned and chuckled and without saying a thing she agreed. As she laid on her side again she fell back asleep in no time. Completely forgetting that she entered dreamland on Takashi's mattress. They weren't being innocent. They were making out, quite literally under the nose of someone who loved Takashi and who thought that he loved her.

And… vaguely, he still did. It was just completely overshadowed with his passion for the enigmatic Busujima.

He kept looking at his samurai before he looked around, back into that darkness called night. His day couldn't go wrong anymore. He was sure he loved her, even though he had only known her for 3 days. It felt so real and great. But he wasn't really thinking about the events that he had just started. Nor could he, for he didn't know that there was one person who knew. All he knew at this point were his imagination of him and Saeko doing the things that he loved..

Whilst they were doing what they had just done there was one person whom was crying in herself.

One person whom was filled with pain, sadness and anger. She had kept herself quiet and was biting her pillow intensely. What was she to do… what could she do. She had lost him and would most likely never get him back.

Was she… simply forgotten? She laid next to them… how could he simply forget about her? But above all… how could she.

_Takashi… why? Why? I thought that you…._

_Senpai…I thought you knew better… I thought you… you… who am I kidding... in my eyes you're… dead. _

_Right, this chapter had some fanservice. The next one will have none. So if you are looking for that you might as well skip it. I know they might have been a bit out of character and regular humans would've awakened ten times already but hey! That's what fantasy is for. Oh and… aren't we all out of character when we love someone?_

_I'd like to add that the whole… touching of body parts and that sort of fancy stuff wont be there until next time or the end. I think Saeko isn't the kind of person that just gives away her entire body like that? I know I know… the OVA proves me wrong. _

_Next chapter will be the cleansing of the mall and the creation of a base of operations. Conflicts between Saeko and Rei. And maybe a minor row/ or a shot to win Takashi back.. Not sure about that one yet. _

_I don't think of Rei as the kind of person that immediately confronts her problem. I thinks he'd think about them, and slowly realize what she must do and then let herself be guided by feelings. _

_This was actually my least favourite chapter up until now. Because so little happened, and there's so many text. I apologize. _


	7. I'd rather be dead

_Now. For once! I will do what I said I'd do in the last author's message. This chapter will be … adventure in a mall? ( You know what… I'll stop saying these things beforehand. This will be a Rei, Saeko chapter.)_

_I do not own highschool of the dead. All rights belong to its original author and animators. _

**Act 8: I'd rather be dead.**

Soft chirping woke Takashi from his slumber. He had finally succumbed to his urge to sleep but had still only closed his eyes for about thirty minutes. The sun was blazing through the entrance once again and he only noticed just now that the windows were barricaded and thus prevented the light to enter.

"Oh… that's just great… how the hell hadn't we seen that before?"

His yelling woke up Kohta and Saya as well. Followed by Rei.

"Takashi… have you been awake all night or what?" Saya asked whilst rubbing the sleep from her eyes.

"Hmm, yes. Somebody had to stand guard. No worries… I had something to amuse myself with." He showed them the game of Yathzee whilst his eyes kept falling on the bulb under the blankets which had made his life a better thing for now. He didn't notice Rei's red eyes and evil stares up until much later.

"Kohta, could you help me with something?" He asked.

"Sure… *yawns* … in a minute."

Saya looked at the red head and noticed all too well that there was something wrong. Not long after her first discovery of the day she saw that Saeko lay in the wrong bed. But she couldn't get herself to believe that they had actually slept together. _Didn't she fall asleep on his crotch two days ago? … I'll just assume the same has happened. Except the crotch part of course._

Thirty minutes later Alice and Miss Shizuka woke up as well and the nurse set herself to preparing breakfast with Rei and Alice-chan whilst Saya, Kohta and Takashi were struggling to get off the blockades attached to the windows.

The smell of fresh bacon made their tummies panic as the Barbeque they had obtained from a store did its job better than expected. Besides some clumsiness which caused the first strips to get burned pitch black the food looked and tasted better than they could have hoped for.

"This fwood twastes bwasewome!" Both of the boys yelled out with their mouths stuffed. Of course they immediately got yelled at by an offended Saya. Followed by a laughing Alice who got her cheeks squeezed for laughing at such a thing in front of the pink haired girl.

The blonde only had dinner after all of them were done and were continueing breaking down the –barricade- so that the mall would be lightened up. With every window they cleared, they thought they noticed the mall getting brighter and brighter. After an hour the dull and fresh dawn had made place for the bright and warm morning sun.

"Rei, could you give me a hand over here pelase?" Takashi asked as he found himself struggling to remove the last blockade. He saw the girl ignoring him completely but he was actually daft enough to think that she was merely suffering from a serious grumpy morning mood. Saya was there to help however, and together they removed the last piece of rubbish away from the windows and had made their first step towards preparing this mall for safe and comfortable shelter.

"I guess we all know what's next, do we?"

The entire group nodded as Takashi hinted them to gather. Orders would be simple. They'd all get assigned one or two things to do and come back to the entrance as soon as they were done or it became too dangerous.

"There's seven of us in total… Well, six. Saeko-san won't be joining us. One of us will have to stay here and help her guard the entrance as soon as she wakes up. They all looked towards the sleeping girl who had completely disappeared under the blankets now. And all thought the same: _How can a girl like her sleep like that. It's quite a paradox._

"Any volunteers?" He added. Everyone wanted to raise their hands because it was a whole lot less scary to stay at the entrance with Saeko who, even whilst wounded, could probably still take care of most of them without breaking a sweat.

Eventually it was Rei, who against all expectations, raised her hand. "I'll stay… Kohta, Takashi. Both of you will go alone whilst Saya, Shizuka and Alice will stay together… That's the only way."

"Won't it be safer to… let Miss Shizuka-san and Alice chan stay here?" Kohta added reluctantly. Knowing all to well he'd better not say anything stupid with Saya around. But he was relieved to see that she agreed with him.

"Kohta-kun is right. You're one of our best fighters Rei. We know it's safe here… but what if there are too many stragglers left? Kohta-kun is right."

"No. Non of us know what medicines we need except Miss Shizuka. And we need Alice-chan over there as well to go and warn the others in case of danger. Besides, we won't be the only ones with the idea to settle down in the mall. Senpai won't be able to defend herself against … real humans. Besides, except for Shizuka-san I am the only one with any knowledge of first aid. If anything would go wrong with Senpai… I'll be of most help."

They all thought about her words and realized that she was most likely right. And with that it was settled.

-Miyamoto Rei would guard the entrance with Busujima Saeko. In case any survivors would arrive they'd make sure it was safe and get the others.

-Takashi would go, and barricade every door for which there was no need to be open. And on the way back he'd scour the mall for food and water.

-Kohta's job was to find tools and weapons with which they could improve their chances of survival. His top priority was to find something better than a can to make silencers for their guns.

- The three remaining girls. Shizuka, Saya and Alice would go and search for medicines. And after that they would go and check the basement to try and repair the electric circuit which was defect because of the EMP bomb. Nevertheless they'd try to fix it or otherwise search for other suited light sources.

They all set out in opposite directions to cover the most ground in the least time. If they'd come across anything of use, they'd bring it along obviously.

Rei watched the others walk off and felt relieved to have some breathing space. As she followed Takashi's every step she felt both sadness and anger. But also still that feeling of… affection and love. She couldn't just forget him like that could she?

Whilst walking back to her mattress she grabbed herself some of the remaining food and took a can of soda which they had obtained from a broken vending machine.

She sat down next to the hidden girl and ate some of her food. "*sigh* I should be so mad at you Senpai… and I am. Yet you look simply adorable right now." She chuckled in herself. She was mad indeed, furious even. Yet Rei wasn't the type that would go and curse against a sleeping person. Well… maybe she was. But not like this. If Rei was to confront Saeko with her anger she'd do it face to face. No matter how scared she was. And being afraid of Saeko really wasn't that strange was it? The kenpo-sensei was able to cut her in half without trying, and even if she didn't want to kill her. Busujima was skilful enough with unarmed combat as well. Of course Rei knew she wouldn't attack her for merely cursing at her. But Saeko was just as blessed with words as with her blade when needed. And that was something she feared above all. What if her anger was talked out of her? What if senpai revealed something? What if… Her thoughts went astray with tons of possible scenarios. There were so many of them with which she came up with that she decided to let it rest for the time being.

She'd talk alone with Takashi as soon as she got the chance and everything would be okay. _He's most likely just making me jealous… Taking revenge on me because I dated Hishashi. Yes… that's it! But… that kiss… Those moans and squeals…. It all felt so real. I think it was… real. Why didn't I interrupt them? Was I… afraid?_

Suddenly the ball of blankets started moving and some soft yawns came from underneath it. Rei was surprised by the energetic movements she appeared to be making. "uhm, Senpai-san?"

Someone seemed to be struggling to get the blankets of her. After ten seconds of weird movements she had finally managed to struggle herself from the wrath of the magic pink and purple blanket. Her confused head immediately scanned her room and as soon as she saw Rei her hand cleaned the long string of liquid that was still hanging on her mouth. It would've been a disgusting sight if she had been someone else as Busujima Saeko. But she wasn't, so it still looked cute in some sort of vague way.

"You sure like drooling in your sleep don't you senpai?" Rei remarked on an annoyed tune. She was struggling to not jump her immediately and hope for the best.

"I'm sorry. That was embarrassing. But it's an entirely different world since I can only use one arm."

"Hmmm.. I bet it is. Does it still hurt?"

Saeko looked at her wound and tried to feel the pain. But it appeared to be completely gone. That was up until the point she tried to move her arm. A sharp stitch pierced her shoulder but she kept herself from showing it. "No, I think it'll be over soon. I'll ask Shizuka to remove these bandages as soon as she's back. Where are they if I may ask? "

"*sigh* You don't have to lie to me senpai. I saw your wound and it was deep. Very much so. It can't possibly be over already. Takashi and the others are doing their thing. We're preparing this place to give us shelter for a long period."

"Miyamoto… I…"

"Please call me Rei. What is it?" She replied annoyed.

"I... I will ask you again. Could stop referring to me as senpai. We are of th…"

"I thought I already told you. Don't even get started about that."

"We are of the same age. It's not fitting."

"Well… get used to it."

"Miya… Rei. .." She couldn't find the correct words for she knew all too well that she was about to enter a path where one slip would ignite the volcano. Instead of continuing she grabbed her clothes and started to put them on. Shizuka had given her one of her big fuzzy winter sweaters as her school uniform had been completely ruined by the blood and scratches. As she pulled it over her head she found herself struggling with wool yet again. The bandaged arm remain under the sweater obviously. She was quite proud of herself when she had succeeded in that all but impossible mission of dressing yourself with one arm. The sweater was way too large for her and she practically didn't have to wear her skirt anymore but out of decency. she did it anyways.

"Rei, could you give me a hand please?" Busujima didn't like asking this. Needing other people to do such an easy think was something that damaged her pride.

Rei herself didn't really mind helping a girl getting dressed. She minded helping the girl that was stealing Takashi from her gentle grasp. "Ugh… fine. Here you go." She tightened the skirt together with the little rope without too much difficulty. And after practically no time Saeko was dressed and basically ready to go.

"Rei… is something wrong?" Of course she didn't know that Rei knew about her little… adventure with Takashi last night. It was what she thought, but she wasn't going to mention it.

"No… nothing is wrong Senpai."

"Saeko."

"… Since when are you so childish?"

"I'm not being childish. I'm getting annoyed by the fact that you call me senpai and I'd appreciate it if you'd call me by my name. Friends don't use those honorific's."

Rei felt a burst of angers flowing through her body, which was settling in her hands ready to be released on command. Did she just call her,.. friend? Where did she find the courage to do that. "You don't know how difficult it was for me to fail a class. You graduated and I didn't. I don't want to remember that day. I do not even want to think about it anymore. So please… Seak… Senpai-san. Drop it."

The indigo haired girl knew all too well that it was dangerous to march on at this point. But curiosity and pity got the better of her.

As Rei sat down on the mattress directly next to her and pretended as if she was ignoring her, Saeko took the opportunity to position herself next to her and place one hand on her shoulder. Whilst she did it too comfort Rei it had quite the opposite effect on the long run.

"It's Shido-sensei. The man who bothers you? It's him."

Rei bit her own lips as she heard those words. She knew absolutely no words to describe her anger and hate towards that man. It was just one year? But that one year changed her easy going life forever. It had made her father cry, and that made her cry. It would always make her cry when she'd recall that scene.

"Rei. You're family is not the only one who has been bothered by him. There are…"

"BOTHERED? YOU SAY BOTHERED? DO YOU EVEN HAVE THE SLIGHTEST IDEA WHAT HE HAS DONE TO ME?" Her face was red, her body shivering and her anger had exploded.

"Miyamoto Rei, please stay calm. I myself have faced the unfairness of Shido-sensei. You have t…"

"SHUT YOUR FACE! YOU HAVE ABSOLUTELY NO IDEA WHAT YOU ARE TALKING ABOUT!"

She held her fork firmly and felt the tears running over her cheeks without break. The girl next to her tried hard to keep her calm. She as well, had suffered immensely because of that guy. Hundreds of students probably had. Maybe not all as badly as Rei had, but they had suffered non the less.

"He's a fraud. A cheat. He toys with students just to hide his own flaws and impurity. The longer you keep resenting him, the longer it'll take for you to keep on living."

Rei was breathing heavily. Sweat ran over her face and she had managed to make her own lip bleed. What was she to do? The urge to hit something, to unleash that suppressed fury was immense. Yet she swallowed her anger, and tried to hide it. "Senpai… With all due respect. You don't know what you're talking about here. Please… stop."

"If you don't talk about it you'll never be able to give it a place."

"And I'm supposed to talk about it with you? YOU? Of all people."

As she heard these words Saeko realized all too well that Rei knew about her and Takashi. She still didn't know that Rei also knew about the kisses they had shared. Busujima was convinced of the fact that Rei would speak up as soon as she'd know about that. Oh, how wrong she was.

"Yes. Maybe you should talk about it with me. I'm the only one that shares experiences with Shido's cruelty Rei."

"How can you be so damn egoistic? From all people here. I'd only share it with one person. And that one is not you."

"Takashi is the one you're referring to isn't it?"

"Oh aren't you the smart ass."

"And what makes you think he knows things better than I do?"

"You think of yourself as a smarter somebody than he is?"

"I didn't say that."

"You're stating it right now!"

"No. I'm not. I only want to help you Rei, why can't you accept that?"

"Help… help help help. You're only making things worse Saeko."

"You said Saeko. Thanks." She wasn't mocking her, she was serious. It pleased her that Rei had called her by that name. It made her think she was getting through to her.

"Oh would you stop your innocent behaviour! Ever since you're in this group you've been infecting everyone with your coldness!" Of course this was a false statement. Yet angry people make a lot of false statements without knowing it. The consequences of such things however differ with every person.

This offense, was an offense that hit the warrior. It would hit her harder than almost anything else. It made her realize that they were both hurting each other with the things they were saying. _Am I really… causing the others to feel down?_ "I'm not… infecting them."

" *pants* I think you should just shut up and get yourself something to eat."

She handed Saeko the food without tact, causing it to fall to the ground as the girl was unable to grab it with her bandaged arm.

"Was that really necessary?" This time she did intend to mock the other girl. And with success.

"Yes it was! You should be happy for you deserve much more."

"What are you implying?" The samurai asked annoyingly gentle. At these words Rei turned around and walked back to stand directly in front of Saeko. Her eyes looking down upon the blue haired girl. Pure anger came from her pupils as her hands were twitching.

"Stand up."

"No." Saeko wasn't daft. She saw the anger overflowing from Rei's body and knew all too well why. She had messed with her past, and that was something nobody should try to do with her. She had tried to comfort her, without success. And now knew that there was most likely barely anything left from the friendship they had shared on the first day.

"No? I need to show you something."

"I know all to well that you're about to resort to violence. And believe me. Miyamoto Rei, you do not want to start a fight with me."

Saeko, on her turn got quite annoyed as well. Was she angry? Not really. She knew that Rei had all rights to be mad at her. But she wasn't going to let herself be threatened without doing something about it.

"Tsssshahaha. You're not even worth it. Now stand up." Her voice was much more calm now. Too calm really. One hand placed on her hip and the other offering a hand to help her up.

"As soon as I stand up, and follow you your… plan will succeed?"

"Oh come on… you offend me." She giggled. " Do you really think I'd hurt you like you hurt me? I'm not a stone cold bitch like that."

This time it was Saeko who felt that jolt of sadness and anger running through her body. Her eyes twitched as those words were thrown at her.

"Miyamoto. The others wont be back within an hour. Don't do crazy things now."

"Still not mad? Don't you have any emotions at all then? I suppose… that was to be expected from the most pampered girl in school."

"What do you mean?" No really. What did she mean?

"Oh come on. WE ALL know that you didn't have to do anything for school. Just because you won our school championships. Even Takashi thinks so."

"That's rubbish! I figured you were smarter than this Miyamoto."

"Oh did you now? And how smart did you think I was? Smart enough to notice you stealing Takashi?"

It had been said. And with that they had made themselves enemies of each other. Was love to ruin yet another life in the end? And in this case the life of an entire group?

"I…"

"You have no words for it. I know. Now stand up." Saeko looked in her eyes and saw her tears. Her fury and pain. And whilst knowing that she shouldn't do it. She accepted Rei's hand and stood up. They stood face to face. Certain parts of their bodies even pressed against each other. "Good, now follow me."

Without saying another word Saeko followed the redhead towards a store which looked like a survival shop. "We're lucky they had completely forgotten this shop or we wouldn't get this chance."

"What chance? Rei. I really think you should calm down. Look… I'm sorry. If that's what you need to calm down then I'll give it to you."

"Haha. It's a little too late for that don't you think." As she walked around Saeko and closed the door behind them. When the blue haired girl saw Rei's hand locking the door she was getting both scared and excited. For Saeko was still Saeko, and a fight wasn't something she'd walk away from.

"Are you challenging me Rei?"

"Me? Challening you? That's funny. I think it was you who challenged me last night don't you think?'

Saeko's heart skipped a beat. She knows? And no matter how she'd put it. Rei had a point here.

"Did you think I wouldn't notice Saeko? DID YOU REALLY THINK I WOULDN'T NOTICE YOU STEALING TAKASHI FROM ME?"

"Rei, calm down. NOW" It wasn't often that she yelled back at angry people. Yet sometimes it was needed. It even seemed to have success, because for a few seconds Rei staggered a bit and her voice became soft again. _She's losing it. I… this is one fight I don't want to fight._

"I have the key here. We are locked here, and no matter what… you are not getting out before we are even."

"Even? And what's to stop me from taking that key from you Rei? You don't really expect to beat me do you?"

"You forget about your arm Miss Busujima."

In shock Saeko's eyes turned to her shoulder for a mere second, but that was too long. In one lightning fast movement Rei's hand was planted firmly on top of the wound and Saeko was pushed on her knees effortlessly, as Rei's finger seemed to be trying to re-open the wound. Pain jolted through her entire body.

To Saeko it felt like a knife cutting through her flesh without stopping. A cold, razor sharp stiletto slowly making it's way inside her body. Rei's hand which had been so soft in the bathroom three days ago now felt like a messenger of pain. Rei was pushing on the wound with all her force, just to make sure that the blue haired girl would physically feel what she had felt mentally.

"Not so tough now? She poke on a rather sadistically tune. And still not a single scream?"

"R…R…Hnnng" She was trying hard to keep herself together. But every woman has her boundaries. Even Busujima Saeko. As Rei had found found a way inside the wound with one of her fingers her vision turned black for a minute. This time she screamed. She screamed loudly. "S…stop it! STOP IT!" Her free hand tried to pull of Rei's, but her strength had been completely drained by now as every movement she made sent new waves of agony through her shoulders, down her spine and towards her legs.

"Oh how the mighty have crumbled. Listen Saeko, and listen good. Do you copy?"

The warrior's eyes were shut tightly as she desperately bit her own lip to prevent herself from letting out noises of despair and pain.

"I know that I'm being a total bitch right now. But let me tell you this. Takashi and I are meant to be together. It had to be that way since the very beginning. Are you still following me? I don't hear you?"

She drove her finger in deeper before letting go of her shoulder completely. As the wound was rid of Rei's hand Saeko fell on her hands and knees whilst panting heavily. She felt humiliated, furious and powerless.

If only her shoulder hadn't been hurt. Then Rei would never get close to beating Saeko. Not even ten Rei's would. But this one wound. This dreaded wound. Had caused her to succumb to raw pain through… well… torture. But no matter what pain her shoulder gave to her. Not a single tear was shed by the girl. Not one.

"Hello? Are you still there?" She placed her fingers on Saeko's chin and lifted her head. The blue haired girl saw the regret in Rei's eyes. She saw her fears of doing this, her sadness and at the same time her joy and feeling of might. She had the same eyes as Saeko herself had had on that dreaded day.

"Y… tss." She turned her head and tried to get on her feet again. "What have you accomplished now?" He shoulder felt as if on fire whilst sprinkled with acid. This agonising feeling spread slowly throughout her lovely body as she felt herself struggling to remain standing.

"Just don't get close to Takashi anymore. And… and.. we'll be fine." Rei turned around and threw the key away. It was a fake one, for she simply opened the door without it. She held the glass entrance open for Saeko to pass through. "Are you coming?"

"R… Rei. I promise you… I promise you with everything I'm worth.." Before finishing her sentence she passed through the door and started to move towards the mattress step by step.

"… I promise that I won't… That I won't…"

"Say it." _What have I done? What in GODS name have I done? _*Sniffs* _I… I… I hurt somebody… and why? What has she done? Shhh Rei Shh… she deserved it She deserved it._

Saeko knew all too well that she couldn't promise such a thing. She also knew that she would struggle the coming days with NOT taking revenge on Rei. Getting hurt wasn't something the busujima's took lightly. Especially not on a cowardly way like this. And ESSPECIALLY not Saeko.

"Rei… I promise you one thing. And that is that…" She inhaled deeply before finishing her sentence. For it was obvious that it would enrage Rei even more.

"That is that I will always care for Takashi. I'll always love him. And if my feelings for him will ever be lessened because of something, or someone…"

"I'd rather be dead."

_Hmm… Okay. I didn't know if I should picture Rei like this. Believe me when I say that I was really doubting. When I started writing this I was planning on something more… cruel? But I toned it down quite a bit already. _

_Yet… maybe it's still a bit too rough for Rei? If it turns out be have been too much. I'll change it the coming days because it might ruin the story. _

_Once more… I really thought about this and this was the best my simple brain could come up with. If you find the time. Please tell me if this was too much, too soft, or good the way it is. Don't be afraid that you'd offend me!_

_Oh, and one more thing. In my last chapter I said something about Saeko not giving away her body just like that. _

_You don't remember? Well I said it._

_Now someone gave me an awesome eye opener and showed me just how wrong I was when I stated that. Thanks mate! ( I don't know if you'd want me to put your users ID here. So I won't.. Just to prevent troubles.) _

_With that said. I might write some… love scenes with a bit more action sooner? I don't know. It totally depends on where this story brings me. _


	8. Then he might as well be dead

As promised. I won't write anything beforehand anymore. At least, not anything that tells you what will be in the chapter because well… I have been wrong every single time now.

Last chapter was drama. This will be 1 part drama and 1 part… I don't know. Regular stuff? ( Oh now I do it again!)

I do not own highschool of the dead. All rights belong to its original author and animators.

**Act 8: Then he might as well be dead **

"Hnnnnng… phew… that was that." The emergency exit was barricaded firmly with a desk, some chairs and some metal crowbars which kept his makeshift construction intact. After three hours of scouring the mall he had finally managed to lock, or barricade every single unnecessary entrance that would allow entrance to the mall. The doors towards vital stores he had broken open to ease up the gathering of recourses in the future, and Takashi was basically set to get back towards the entrance.

On his way back he gathered a few chop sticks, Quality baseball bats and he got himself a nice new pair of sneakers. Another crashed vending machine offered him a free bottle of Aquarius and he had basically completed his –mission- entirely.

The mall itself was huge. At least a ten minute walk from one side to the other without any obstacles. Not even talking about the different storeys it had. Every level was connected with escalators.

If everything would get out of hand they'd have plenty of room to fall back to. The roof was unlocked as well, and all Takashi had done was to pull up the ladder from the emergency staircase. In that case they'd always had their very own, what if anything goes wrong, exit.

"What? Already drank it? Ah well… at least it was a good change from water. Besides… we've plenty here." He now walked down the stairs on the third level. Making his way back to where he figured all the others would be right now.

"Alice-chan, go tell Takashi that I'm almost done in the basement. Shizuka-san, please follow her. I'll be finishing up here in no time and we'll be up and running again." Saya spoke proudly.

"Right, let's go!" The blonde nurse ordered the small yet brave little human. The two of them ran back towards the entrance, having completed their part of the bargain as well. Shizuka Marikawa had gathered more than enough antibiotics, bandages and god knows what other remedies. Together with Saya, they had almost gotten the electricity back up. At least the emergency generator that is. Somehow it wasn't as badly damaged as they thought it would be. But then again… that generator would last for one, maybe two days. Before they would be forced to find some other source of reliable electricity.

Just like all the others, Kohta had done his job without too much effort. Two backpacks filled with wrenches, glue, saws, bullets and everything else he needed to prepare some decent defences. He had only scoured one level, but that had been more than enough. The security department still had some pistols in store for him and a fair amount of ammunition. And the nearby timber shop had all the tools and recourse he found himself in need of.

He didn't bring along the wood, steel and stone for that would be totally unnecessary.

On his way back towards the two girls he figured that he heard some yelling coming from the entrance.

"Hm.. probably just my mind playing tricks on me. Oh… is that a?... a? Awesome!" Suddenly distracted by clothing shop he found himself some manly leather jackets. "So many options! They all look so… so… tough!"

After Saeko said her last line to Rei their already fierce row had risen to a new level. Though not direct, in fact, they hadn't said a thing after that.

Rei did the dishes, for they would still have to get used to a life like this. She might as well enter some sort of life rhythm.

Everytime she'd hear Senpai moan soft in pain, or whispering something a crazy warmth crawled up via her spine and covered her vision in blackness. As soon as she was done she took Takashi's and her mattress and laid them next to the other three. Though Rei was a bit surprised that she wasn't stopped by Senpai, she also knew that Busujima wasn't one for starting a fight over a mattress. Whatever there was going to happen between these two. It wasn't going to be a pretty sight if they didn't learn to live with each other soon. "Tss… at least now she'll learn to shut her egoistic mouth."

Clenching heavily to her burning and bleeding shoulder she was struggling immensely to not grab her katana and give Miyamoto a piece of her mind. She'd probably not even need a katana to dish out a little revenge. Sitting on her mattress she felt the red liquid pouring from her shoulder, through the bandages, over her skin only to be eventually absorbed by her sweater. She closed her eyes firmly and was breathing heavily.

It hurt. It hurt badly. –luckily- that pain was outdone by sheer anger and swallowed sadness. Of course Saeko didn't like this. And most likely Rei didn't either. But to apologize now was out of the question. Besides, what was she to apologize for? She loved Takashi. And he loved her, right? Their feelings were genuine. And if Rei couldn't accept that… then that was her problem. Not hers.

"T-Takashi… I can't say it for you. But please… tell her that it's over. Or tell me that you love her more…. This is too dangerous. Please…"

All she really wanted at this point was for her wound to finally stop bleeding. Having a wound was one thing. To constantly feel blood streaming from it is some different all together.

"Saeko-san! Rei-san!" Kohta yelled from a distance. Unlike the red head and the blue head. He was actually extremely amused. That feeling of happiness was reinforced when he saw Takashi's laughing head walking down the stairs right the very moment he passed them.

"Takashi! How did it go?"

"Great. I've locked, barricaded or opened every thing I saw the need for. And… judging to the sight of your rucksacks, I'll assume everything went better than expected here as well?"

"Haha yeah that's right! What's with the new shoes? It's barely a good time to go shopping right now is it?"

"Ah well… I saw them and… owowow… You have no right to speak. Look at that fancy jacket you got yourself. You're in the mood for some good old adventuring aren't you? "

"Well, I saw it hanging there. So I was like… come to papa Kohta-san! And I took it. Do you think they will like it?"

"Who will like what?"

"The girls of course! Will they even notice our new clothes?"

"Haha don't worry. They're girls. Of course they will. Probably criticize them as well in the progress."

"Hmm yeah… she appears to be into that quite a bit." Kohta suddenly spoke into a somewhat grumpy tone.

"You mean Saya?" Takashi asked understandingly.

"Y-yeah. But let's not get all moody now! I see the barbeque still standing over there! What about we get ourselves some well earned food!"

"Food? Again? Hahah yeah sure. Why not!"

The two boys walked towards the den of anger. Little did they know that the two stunning girls had declared a war.

However, Takashi noticed all too well that there was something wrong. Saeko sat on her knees with her back turned towards them. Both of the beds were gone and laid on the other side of the entryway. And Rei? The only thing she did was saying "hello." Before she as well fell completely silent.

This caused for an extremely uncomfortable atmosphere for both Takashi and Kohta. They had expected a somewhat… happier return. And to make matters a tad worse for the young leader. To whom should he talk first? No matter which of the two girls he chose, his love or his other (ex) love, he'd most likely upset and possibly even enrage the other one.

Luckily he didn't have to choose because just as he was about to say something, he was interrupted by Alice and Shizuka whom were both happily running towards them.

"TAAAKAAASHII! KOOOOHTAAA!" The little girl yelled as she happily jumped in Kohta-kun's arms. He didn't expected that and tumbled over to fall on his behind.

"Aui, aui, aui. Alice-chan! Why so rough!"

He saw her bright eyes staring into his' and simply couldn't get mad. Not that he was mad, but he wanted to be. Instead of that, he laughed. He stood up and let go of the little person.

"Alice, where is Saya?" Kohta asked curiously.

"She's repairing the electric cir… circu… thingy!"

"Why aren't you with her?" Rei suddenly threw in. "It's dangerous to be alone in these times. Especially someone as vulnerable as Saya.

"Saya can defend herself Rei-kun!" Kohta threw back quite defensively. They all knew he fancied her more than he fancied the others. They knew he had a crush on Seako, that he got aroused by Shizuka, and fantasised about Rei. But non of the girls meant the same as Saya to him.

Sure, he'd go to hell and back for every single on of them. But with Takagi… it was something different. He loved her, that was obvious. But what about her?

"Takashi-kun… I'll go check on her." He suddenly barked out.

He thought for a bit but knew that there was no stopping him anyways. "Go for it. Good luck!" He saw the boy grinning and his eyes blinking. And with that said, he was alone with four girls. Two of which were either too young, or too … well… brain dead. And the other two were absolutely pissed of and he had absolutely NO idea of what had happened. He had thought about this on his –mission-. He figured it was more than obvious that the two got in an argument. But like this? No, he hadn't seen that coming at all.

"UHm… Rei. Can we talk for a minute?" He finally asked after a long and annoying silence. All they heard was Saeko's breath coming from her nose and she was sitting quite far away.

Takashi noticed that as soon as he and Rei had started talking, Shizuka had taken Alice in her arms and was walking towards the indigo haired girl.

"Takashi? What's it?" She asked on a gentle tone. Before answering, Takashi nodded her to sit down on the chairs they had used for breakfast. He set an example and sat down first, only to see that Rei wasn't about to listen to him.

"What happened here? Why are Saeko and you so furious at each other?"

"Because." She walked towards the boy and kept standing directly in front of him. He looked up at Rei, and noticed her sudden change. She blushed and smiled yet looked angry as well.

"Takashi, what happened last night?" As he heard that question he knew that he was busted and he shouldn't have started this conversation basically in front of everyone.

"Rei I'm sorry! We… I didn't mean to do it next to you! I.."

"So you would've done the same if I weren't around?"

"YesNo… I… *sigh*. Look, can we talk about this another time?"

He didn't know what to say. We was afraid of losing Rei forever. Not only as his love interest, but also as a friend.

"Takashi! This is what you always do! You won't talk about it some other time so you might as well spit it out now! Do you still love me or not?" She spoke on her casual bossy tune. Yet what nobody except for Hisashi ever saw, was that no matter how tough she tried to be from the outside, her brain would always run amok. She wanted to hug Takashi, She wanted to tell him that everything was forgiven and that she'd love him forever. But to do that, was practically the same as losing. She'd be vulnerable and completely at his mercy. All she had to do was make sure that he wouldn't love Senpai anymore and everything would be all right. Then she'd apologize to Saeko and they'd go on surviving. Sound plan wasn't it?

"R…Rei. I.. Look. I still like you but…" His throat felt as if he had swallowed an iron brick which was stuck inside of it.

"But what? You love that sorry excuse of girl more than me?"

"That what now? Come on Rei, you're being completely childish now." He wasn't in the mood to get more aggressive. He just wanted to… well, what did he really want?

To see Saeko, talk with Rei about other stuff, toy around with Kohta. Everything was better than this at least.

"I'm being unfair? Takashi, haven't you changed a single bit over the years, not even after all that has happened?"

"What… What is that suppose to mean?" He himself stood up to look the girl firmly in her eyes. He knew all to well what she was hinting at. And it was one of her most annoying character traits. She'd always go back in the past and use everything against you until either you enter rage mode, or tell her she's right.

"I thought we were lovers until the end! Marriage, children and a beautiful future! What has happened to those plans?"

"Rei… stop it. I don't care… if all you're going to do is trying to make me feel bad. Then I don't care."

"Of course you wouldn't. You never do! Hisas…."

"DON"T!" His yelling scared her. And it should. How dare she still use Hishashi against him. He used to be his best friend, until… he started dating Rei. Until… he became one of them.

"It's the truth!"

"It's NOT! HE WASN'T BETTER THAN ME! HE ALAWYS TOLD ME THAT I WAS BETTER THAN HIM IN WHATEVER WE DID! PAINTBALL, GAMING and even.. even kung fu."

"T… Takashi. Please calm down."

How could he calm down? Neither of them knew. Yet Takashi knew all too well that he didn't have a lot of choice in the matter. He simply had to, otherwise this would get out of hand.

"Tsss…. You're right. I'm sorry."

Rei recognized this moment and she knew that the last time she had brought up Hisashi they had almost shared a kiss. That was the reason why she moved in for a hug once again. Her arms found their way around his waist and gently squeezed his back. "Takashi… can't we just go back to the past? And be happy together?" She spoke seductively. She threw her body against his'. Pressing her breasts against his torso and even softly grinding her hips against his.

"Rei…" He placed one hand on her back but kept staring in front of him. He loved Saeko didn't he? Yes… he did. Why couldn't he get himself to simply say that and stop this madness? Was he afraid? Afraid of what?

Afraid for Rei's sanity of course. He didn't know what she'd do if he were to completely leave her. And he couldn't deny, no matter how much he wanted to, that he didn't feel anything for Miss Miyamoto anymore. After all… he and Rei had a much richer history than he and Saeko. But, did that matter? Maybe not. But it sure as hell gave him yet another thing to think about.

It was now that he suddenly heard the loudly yelling voice of Shizuka. He looked up and saw the blonde nurse running towards them. Because of the sudden energies that came from the nurse he staggered back, causing him and Rei to fall to the ground as she was still clinging firmly against him. Their lips touches for a mere second because of it. And in a single flashback Takashi saw every kiss they had shared before. However, they hadn't the time to laugh, continue or mock about it for the blonde seemed to be dead serious.

"Kumoro! What happened with Busujima?"

"I… I don't know. Why? What's wrong?" Takashi's body tensed as he feared that his samurai would yet again succumb to her wound. But that was… unlikely. Wasn't it?

"The wound. It re-opened. It's nothing which can't be fixed but what has happened? Did she fight them when I was gone?" As Rei stood up from Takashi and heard that they were talking about Saeko she felt fear. What if… Yes, she had hurt Saeko. If they'd know… if Takashi would know. It was all over. There was no doubt about it. _Please don't tell him… please please please please…"_

As Takashi suddenly pushed her of him she was shaken out of her worries and saw him and Shizuka running towards the girl she resented. Yet Rei didn't wait and immediately followed the two.

"Saeko! Saeko! Are you all right!" Takashi panicked, but as he came closer she saw that her hand was placed on Alice's head. But that wasn't the only thing he saw. That immense damp spot on her sweater. It was blazing red and still fresh. Shizuka immediately used her newly found medicines and tried to get Saeko to pull off her sweater so that she could use some of her herbs. only to be stopped when she talked to her.

"Busujima Saeko, don't be difficult! I need to see to your wound."

"Shizuka-san. There is no need. It just re-opened when… when…" Everyone of them heard that she was trying to lie. She sucked at it to put it bluntly. She might have been a good actor with her body, but not when it came to words. She found it cowardly and unfitted for a Busujima.

"When what? Saeko, tell us please." Takashi went to sit next to her and saw her pupils twitching. Her eyes blinking every half a second, as she was desperately searching for something.

"Me and Rei, we had to defend…. Ourselves. When…"

"Shh, Saeko! You don't have to lie. What really happened?" He never got an answer as it was Shizuka who suddenly pushed him away.

"What the…?"

"Sorry Takashi! Saeko, pull off your sweater!" The nurse had once again entered her state of enthusiasm. And there was little anyone of them could do about it. The indigo haired girl was confused, and because she didn't immediately do as she was told she found herself being forced to lay on her back in a sudden move by the nurse. And even though that hurt, a lot, Saeko didn't let her take of her sweater like that. "Rei! Help me out a bit here!"

Of course she didn't want to help. She knew all too well that Shizuka would see that the wound was forced open. And even though Rei could actually lie. It would be obvious that she had inflicted that pain upon the pale girl. Nevertheless she helped keeping Saeko's back on he mattress and tried to pull of the sweater together with the blonde girl. It went quite easily in the beginning, as Saeko had only one arm to stop them. But as soon as she had a firm grip on the sweater both Shizuka and Rei were once again reminded of her great strength.

"SAEKO! Stop being so difficult! You have a beautiful body, what is there to hide about yourself!"

Takashi saw the nurse doing once again what she did better than anything else. And couldn't help but to smile at himself. He had worried too much. Saeko was okay… and would soon be joining them again. But still, he wanted to know. What had really happened? What could have possibly happened in the time that he was gone? He had to know… for the sake of Saeko, Rei, himself and everyone else.

He stood up again and grabbed Alice's her hand. "Come on Alice, let's see if there's something we can do."

"Hai! Uhm… Takashi. Is Miss Saeko going to be okay?"

Takashi didn't look the girl in her eyes but only smiled. "Yeah… I think she is. It's Saeko we're talking about. She can tackle just about everything." _Everything, except herself that is…_

As he looked around his shoulder one last time he saw her back arching whilst she was kept down. Yet he didn't hear screams. Why? Why couldn't she just let people know she was in pain? He knew that it was her pride that stood in the way. But it made him feel sad. _You're trying so hard to ease everything up for us. But you completely forget about yourself. You told me to be happy with whom I am. I think I should make you feel that that goes for you as well… if only I could… if only I could figure out myself. I… I love Rei. I know I do. At least… that's what my brain tells me. Yet my heart says something completely different. And my brain isn't quite sure either. __Saeko… Rei… I'm sorry if I'm letting you both down. I need to… clear things up for myself First. _

He felt the little girl pulling his hand. "Taaakaaashiiii! Are you there?"

"Hmm what? Yes I am." HHHH erge gave the little girl a pat on her head before he let his love feelings fly away for the time being. "Well… Alice-chan. What do you want to do?"

"I want to play a game!"

"A game? What game?"

"Hmm…. Monopoly?"

"Monopoly?"

"Yes!'

"Uhm… where is toy store?"

"HMm…"

"Hmmm…."

"Uhm… I don't know!"

"Yeah, haha, me neither… Can't we just play… uhm. Do you like video games?"

"I've never played them. Dad told me they were bad for me! But I wanted to!"

"Well… they can be bad for you. Your daddy was right. But not if you only play them from time to time. Come on, let's play one!"

The two younglings walked towards the store where he and Kohta had played before. But this time it was a lot more… relaxed. If Shizuka was right, Saeko would be okay. And that'd mean Takashi would be okay as well.

There was only one thing Takashi wanted at this point. And that was courage. Courage to decide, whether he should tell Rei that he loved another girl and hope for the best. Or if he should… let it pass by? That's what he was doing now. And look what was happening. The group was falling apart because of it. It was up to him he figured. Up to him to safe their cosy time at the mall. If the row between Rei and Saeko escalated… who knew what was going to happen.

And no matter how much he cared for his kenpo-lover. He hadn't forgotten about her darker side. Her killer instinct and her fears.

He knew, that if it did indeed escalate. Saeko might do stupid things. He had promised her that he'd take responsibility. But … if she'd hurt Rei his love would most likely change, if not fade away in one sway. And that was something he feared. If that were to happen, which he didn't think would, but he surely let it cross his mid, he would have lost both Rei and Saeko. His past love, and his future love.

Then he couldn't choose… then he couldn't love, laugh and enjoy.

Then he might as well be dead.

_Ok ok I know it! Most boring chapter up until now. Sorry. But a friend of mine was hit by a bike and he's in a pretty bad shape. That's why I really wasn't in the mood to write… something else as this. Please apologize me._

_Next chapter will be ( oh crap baskets here I go again.) Kohta and Saya. No love, but just an improvement of their relationship. And Takashi + Saeko again._

_I'm now thinking about whether I should Takashi make a descion. If I should let Rei come to her senses or get even angrier when she sees that Takashi still stays with Saeko._

_Or._

_If I should do a stereotypical something where the relatopnship between Saeko and Takashi gets worse for the time being, just so they can get back together when something happens._

_Please tell me what'd be better. Every aid is appreciated._

_Oh and a happy new year y'all!_


	9. At least they aren't dead

Wow, I was gone for two days and I got a ton of favourites and messages. Thanks for all your support! And even more thanks to the people who keep giving me hints and their point of view.

It's great to know I write for a small audience!

Thanks people!

Right, I need to get back in my daily rhythm now because of certain events. Ah well, this chapter will hopefully be a bit more action packed.

I do not own Highschool of the dead. All rights belong to its original author and animators.

**Act 9:**

"Well? What do you say?"

"I'm… not sure. Is this smart?"

"It's this or that. And my choice would definitely go for this one."

"Hmm… but the other one is so… Obvious?"

"Are you doubting me? As far as I'm concerned I'm a lot smarter than you."

"Yeah, of course you are. You're the smartest of our group, but…"

"But? Just attach those wires and don't be so scared!"

"I'm not scared!"

The chubby boy put on the rubber gloves and with sweaty palms he began to attach the wires to their destined power sources. He went trough it quite fast and within a few minutes he only had to do one last set of twelve wires.

Meanwhile Saya was giving the finishing touch to the cables that would guide the electricity throughout the entire complex.

"Kohta-kun. I'm done within a minute. Could you hurry up?"

"I'm doing the best I can already. Please, five more minutes and I'll be done."

"Five more? Hmmm… okay okay. I don't think I have a whole lot of choice in the matter." She closed the little hatch which had given her entrance inside the emergency room. She stood behind Kohta and gazed at his sloppy handwork over his shoulder. Sloppy? Yes it sure was. But no matter how you'd look at it he was still doing an superb job with restoring the power.

"I'm surprised. Who'd have thought that gaming would teach somebody some actual engineering skills." She spoke quite impressed.

"Well, I'm not as good as you. But I've done this sort of work a lot with a friend of mine."

"No no, I think you're… better than me at this." It wasn't like her to admit such a thing. But things that had to be told, she would tell. And it was obvious that when it came to electronics Kohta was the better brain.

"haha thanks Saya-san. But you and I both know better." He smiled after he said this. Little did he know that she was actually serious when he was given that compliment.

"Well, Alice. What game is it that you want to play?" Takashi asked the little girl. They had been trying to get to that game shop for thirty minutes now, but every time they'd set one step the small one would see something of interest and force him to join her.

"Hmmm…. I don't know!"

"Oh… well. I could have seen that coming. Uhm, what about erm…" Even though he had played games once in a while. He seriously didn't have the slightest clue of what game he should be playing with little girls. No matter the outbreak of them, he still didn't like showing her the usual blood and foul language which would be present in about every game.

'Alice… I actually don't really feel like playing a game anymore. Can't we just… find something else to do?"

"But… I want to play a game Takashi!" She looked at him with her large sparkly eyes. "You told me that…"

"I… But…. Well…" He felt himself succumbing to the all too famous attack of cuteness apparently all children are masters of.

"Takaaashhiiii!"

"B-b-b…. Ugh…. Fine. Pick one."

"Yippii! I want to pla…" Both of them were interrupted by Rei who suddenly stood in the doorway.

"What do you two think you're doing? We're far from done with getting this place ready to roll." She sounded firm. Angry even.

"But Rei, Takashi told me We'd play a game!" The girl rudely yelled at the red head in order to get what she wanted.

"Shhh, show some respect. Shizuka-san needs your help over there." She snarled at the little girl. But she wasn't lying. They were indeed far from being able to safely take a break. And Shizuka was indeed in need of help.

"Alice-chan. Listen to Rei. We'll play a game later." He placed his hand on the girl's head and smiled. "I promise okay?"

Without a real response the little child stormed out annoyed. She ran towards Shizuka and would help the woman with whatever she would have to do.

As Takashi saw her racing of he chuckled a bit. "Hehe, a child's innocence right?"

"Yes… a child's innocence. If only other people had that as well."

"What do you mean?"

"Oh don't play dumb Takashi. You know perfectly well what I mean." She closed the door behind them and put down her gun. "Takashi, we need to talk."

"I don't want to talk now Rei."

"You never want to talk! It's now or never. Understood?" She was bossy as always. And Takashi obeyed. What else was he to do? If he would have walked away now he'd most likely have ignited the flame.

"Right… it's about us right?"

"Yes… partly."

"Partly?"

"About you and Senpai as well."

"Rei…"

"Takashi. I know you've already answered this. But I want you to… re-think about my words. Am I not your love… have you not always loved m…"

"Rei! Don't play it like this. I'm not going to fall for that." He knew all to well what she was trying. And she knew that he knew. But that didn't stop her from trying it. She had began to feel affection for him again ever since they had shared that hug at the observatory. Her feelings of love came back that moment. But to wake up in reality every morning began to take it's toll on both the brave girl, and the brave boy.

To be confronted with them every day. To love without being loved. And to fear for the life of your parents without break. But still, she wanted Takashi to love her again. To get that attention pleased her. To feel important calmed her. To be able to love somebody, comforted her.

"Takashi… I meant what I said back then. I… love you. I never stopped loving you…" She kept talking but his ears had already been cut off from his brain. Her words, those words were the only things raging through his mind at this moment.

It were also those words that completely shattered his old feelings for the girl and made place for new ones. Other ones.  
>"Rei I…"<p>

"Shhh…. You don't have to say anything." She looked over her shoulder and then gave her full attention to the dazzled guy. Slowly moving towards him with swaying hips and gentle steps.

"Uhm… I… Didn't mean tha…" His line was interrupted by her firm breasts against his chest. He blushed, even staggered back for a moment. Only to find his back against a wall. "Rei, we can't do this."

"Takashi-kun… are you still that shy?" She giggled a bit at his uncomfortable face as she playfully ran her fingers over his shoulders and neck. _Don't screw it up now Rei. This is your chance._

"Rei…" Once again interrupted by her. But this time it were her lips pressed against his'. His eyes sprung open and in a reflex he wrapped his arms around her. He knew that that was a stupid thing to do. But he didn't want to kiss, he just did it. He simply didn't… love her like that anymore. At this moment he didn't love anybody. He was hurt from the inside. Why was everything so hard? "Rei… I don't want this."

She was confused. Of course she was. How could he possibly say no to her at a moment like this? He had done it in the apartement… but that was most likely because she was drunk and he was annoyed at her Hisashi speech. But this time?

"W… Takashi?"

"Rei… we do indeed need to talk."

"About what?"

"Now you're playing dumb and you know it."

"Excus…" A sudden scream interrupted her. It came from outside.

Takashi knew all too well that they had to go. But his emotions were toying with him. "Rei… I'm sorry. Let's talk… or do… you know? This evening?"

"Takashi… I'll hold you to that."

"Right, let's go!"

The two of them ran out of the store, directly towards the entrance were some sort of a commotion seemed to have started. Shizuka had, most likely, fallen to the ground. Alice-chan had just arrived and was paralyzed. Saeko stood on top of the vehicle with a drawn katana. She had been completely redressed and looked stunning as always.

Rei arrived first and immediately helped the nurse up her feet.

"What happened?" Takashi yelled as soon as he arrived as well.

Without saying anything Saeko hinted Takashi to join her, and of course he obeyed. He told Rei to join them and together they climbed upon the humvee. Temporarely blinded by the light coming from the sun, as soon as their eyes adapted they saw it.

The smoke coming from ,what appeared to be a modified school bus, was pitch black. But that wasn't the thing that worried them. Screams of fear and pain.

The bus had turned on it's size as it was making a sharp turn. They were most likely fleeing from the hordes of them because they had been followed by at the very least a hundred of them.

"Takashi… what do we do?" Rei asked with a soft and shocked voice. It took him a while to reply for he as well was in shock at this sight. More and more of them were slowly moving towards the wreck. Some faster than others, some clumsier than others. But every single one of them moved slow as hell and that was exactly what made it so terrifying.

The door of the bus opened up and one, two, three and a fourth survivor climbed from it. Apparently coughing and at least two of them had sustained injuries.

One of them carried what appeared to be a handgun whilst the other three were armed with clubs, blades or whatever it was that they had in their hands.

"Takashi-kun. We can't let them perish like that." Saeko claimed. And she was right. But instead of Takashi, the red head replied.

"Of course we can't. But… look at the size of that horde…" Rei had all rights to be scared. Most likely Senpai herself was scared. At least that's what Rei thought.

"Takashi? What are we going to do?" The indigo haired girl knew all too well that Rei had already asked this. But since she didn't get a response Saeko figured that she'd try again.

The young leader himself was thinking hard. He heard their words well enough but he didn't know what to do. That was up until Saeko's question reached his ears. Shaken awake by that cold and lovely voice he regained his composure.

"ALICE! Go! Get Saya and Kohta!" He now turned towards Shizuka. "Shizuka-san! Prepare yourself for some injured people!"

Both Alice and Shizuka knew exactly what to do and went to their business right away.

"Saeko. Rei. Listen up." He sounded firm and strict. Exactly how a leader should sound in a time like this. Both of the girls nodded and prepared for their orders. " As soon as Kohta and Saya get back here to give us covering fire. Me and… uhm… Saeko, are you up for the job?"

"As always." She smiled and turned her head a bit. "Even with one arm. I'm more than enough. But… Takashi, y-you stay here with Rei and help the injured survivors up the car with Kohta-kun."

"What? What are you talking about? You're not going in there alone Sae…" He was stopped by a finger on his lips as she seemed to be forgetting that she had a razor sharp katana in the same hand.

"Shhh, don't worry. I'm not going to fight… all of them" Her words worried him. Would she be able to keep herself from going into a frenzy again? No… he couldn't risk that.

"Don't be crazy Saeko! You're not going in their alone. You're not going to risk your life, I promised you!'

Rei saw and heard all of this. And she was about to open her mouth to scoff at them when yet another explosion filled the environment with disaster. The backside of the bus had exploded in a fire show of white hot metal and burning gasoline. She almost tumbled over but was able to stay on her feet. As soon as she looked up she saw that there was already a person missing on their vehicle. Followed by a scream that came from Takashi.

"SAEKO! COME BACK!" He yelled basically to no one because the kenpo-master kept running towards the panic and disaster.

"Senpai?..." Rei was confused. _Why does that bitch run off like that?_

Takashi on his turn didn't hesitate and was going to run after her. But two arms around his waist stopped him. "Rei? Let go of me! I need to help her out. There's no way that she c…"

"TAKASHI! She's lost it! We need to wait on Kohta and Saya. We can't do this on our own!"

"WE need to help her!"

"NO! WE CAN'T JUST SACRIFISE OUR LIFES!" She pulled him back with all her strength which caused them to fall over on their backs. Rei was Crushed underneath Takashi's weight as her air was pushed from her lungs.

"I'm sorry Rei. I need to go." He immediately regained his breath, stood up and followed Saeko's footsteps. Making sure he had a full magazine he stormed towards this carnage. He heard a girl screaming behind him but he didn't pay attention to it. He had to protect Saeko. There was no way in hell she'd be able to go in, fight them, safe the survivors, protect the survivors and return to the entrance all alone.

As he came closer and closer his vision got blocked by a smog of pure black smoke. It wasn't long before he came across his first foe and he struck it down with a series of immensely brutal blows to it's head. Bones splintered underneath the soft skin and blood spattered on his clothes. As he looked to the ground he already saw at the very least twelve of them laying on the ground with sliced heads, throats or legs. Either way, they were of no danger anymore.

"Saeko, were are you? *coughs* What the hell were you thinking?"

She jumped up in the sky and made a flip. Whilst she was doing this acrobatic stunt she threw her blade towards their heads and felled yet another pair of them. Even with her arm like this, she was a complete animal when it came down to it. Twenty five had already fallen victim to her blade and a lot more were to come.

You shouldn't think that she didn't hear Takashi screaming behind her or feared his response. But loving somebody didn't mean that she'd place the others' feeling above her own. She had to prove to him, Rei, Saya, Shizuka, Kohta, Alice but above all, herself. That she was still strong and capable. And no matter how grave of a wound, a Busujima would never be stopped if their friends' lifes were in risk.

"I still have it. I still have it!" She cut down one more, two more, three more. Without taking a break from the fighting she made her way towards the bus. She knew all too well what she was doing at this moment. By disobeying his orders she put to danger their entire chain of command. Takashi was the leader, and she didn't do as he told her. It saddened her, a great deal actually. Of course she knew that he was going after her. She never intended to leave him behind. But once again, she did not want to look vulnerable and in need of help. Her pride refused that and her feelings blockaded it.

"SAEKO! Where are you?" He couldn't see a damn thing within this immensely dense smoke. He knew that he'd attract them by screaming, but there was no other way. He kept hearing her katana and from time to time her screams in the distance but he couldn't pinpoint it. He simply went straight for the bus in the hopes of meeting her there. "How the hell does this smoke stay on the ground? isn't it supposed to go upwards?" He was right, something was wrong with these damps but he didn't know what.

"Rei! Where are Takashi and Saeko?" Saya immediately yelled when she and Kohta reached the entrance. When she didn't get a response but saw the spear wielder sit on her knees staring towards the smoke aimlessly, she knew all too well where they were. "Are they… shit. Not good, not good. We need to get them out of there."

"They'll be back with the survivors… I'm sure of it." Rei whispered just loud enough for the rest to hear.

"Survivors? That smoke is highly toxic!"

"What?" Rei stood up in a shock. "Saya! Kohta-kun! Cover us when we return!" Without waiting for their response she ran towards the smoke as well. _I need to safe them. I need to safe him. _

After slicing yet another one of them with a merciless slice to its head she had done it. She had reached the bus and climbed on its side. It was insanely hot up there and because of the smoke it took her a while to spot the quartet of people on the far side of the vehicle. They hadn't seen her and were desperately trying to keep themselves together. Saeko walked towards them, but when she was about halfway she saw Takashi climbing upon the bus as well. "Takashi-kun. I thought I asked you to stay behind."

" And I thought I asked you to stay at the entrance." He panted out. He was exhausted and the lack of fresh air didn't improve their situation. Takashi stumbled towards Saeko, whom was patiently waiting for him.

By now the four survivors had seen them, and after they had prepared to attack them, they happily ran towards them as soon as they noticed that the two younglings weren't one of them. As the four of them made their way towards Takashi and Saeko, the two ex-students used the little time which they had to try and get some sort of excuse for both of their actions.

"Takashi, I'm sorry. But I have my reasons."

"Hehe, no time for this. We both made mistakes. Let's get these people to safety first."

"Right." She walked towards them when she suddenly felt him grabbing her wrist. Because of the surprise she was pulled back a little and almost tripped. As she turned to look him in the eyes she saw two things. One, the love and affection he had shown her all the time these last days. But also something else… She couldn't quite lay her fingers on top of it. Something strict, loving and mad at the same time. He didn't loosen up. In fact, he only increased his grip on her wrist, almost causing her hand to drop the blade to the ground. As a small moan of pain escaped her mouth.

"Saeko. Never, again. Okay?"

"T…T…"

They were interrupted by the low voice from one of the survivors. The man was tall, very tall. Long brown hair and he seemed to have been cut, for a long stream of blood ran from his left eye brow all the way down to his lower cheek. Neither of them could really see what he precisely looked like because of the smoke. He might as well have had black, or blonde hair.

"You two. Where do we go now?"

Not a thanks came from his mouth. Not that they expected a thank you in a time and environment like this. But he sounded firm and angry. As he heard the voice he let go of her arm and immediately answered.

"Right. Are you all capable of running? We have positioned ourselves in the mall and barricaded the entrance. It's a run of one, maybe two minutes. Do you think your wounded can handle that?"

"Of course they can. Don't mind my grumpiness, we'll introduce later. Lead the way."

"Of course. No problem! Saeko-san! Let's go!" As he yelled these words towards the girl he noticed that she was coughing loudly and sweating like a runt. They all were sweating, but nothing like her. Yet there was no time to worry about that. It was most likely the smoke taking its toll on her body. "Saeko-san!" This time she reacted.

"Excuses. Let's go!" She observed the group, and then Takashi. "I'll take the lead. Follow me." As she jumped of the bus to slash down three of them she heard that dreaded voice yelling from the smoke.

"TAKAAASHI! WHERE ARE YOU?"

As Saeko heard these lines she knew that they would have to go and get her. _At least we'll know the direction._ "Takashi-kun. You take the group and get as far away from this smoke as possible. I'll distract them and get Miyamoto!"

"Saeko, no! I thought I already told you." He jumped from the bus as well and was followed by the four others whom immediately ran towards the yelling girls' voice and towards safety. The two were practically left behind and they both made their way towards the entrance as well. Both hoping that they'd find Rei on their way back. Though… both for other reasons.

"Saeko-san! You escort them back towards safety. I'll get to Rei and we'll return as well!"

No matter how much she'd like to join him she knew better than to keep going up against him. With a nod the two went their separate ways.

As Saeko ran just behind the four people she immediately noticed the struggling woman, and the child which missed an arm or so it seemed. She easily outran them and arrived at the humvee before the others. She had sheeted her katana and with some help from Saya she stood on top of it. Together with Kohta and Saya she helped the others up and off the truck again. She then kept staring towards the smoke and fire in the hopes of catching a glimpse of both Rei and Takashi. She knew all too well that if something happened to one of them it'd all be over.

"Rei? WHERE ARE YOU? *coughs* "

"TAKASHI!" She seemed to be panicking. And right she was. Running towards the bus had done her no good as the black smoke seemed to be spreading more and more and it got denser by the minute. She had ripped of one of her shirt's arms and used it to cover her mouth and nose. As she looked around her in panick she saw dozens of shades moving either towards her, the burning wreckage or towards Takashi.

Immediately after that she felt a hand on her shoulder. In the scare of the moment she threw the hilt of her gun at the thing that grabbed her. As a voice of pain echoed through her ears she knew all too well who it was that she had hit.

"Takashi?" She turned around and saw the grinning guy clenching to his side.

"Rei… that's one hell of a reflex you got there."

"Y… y… I'm so sorry!"

"It's fine. You're okay. That's good. Come on, we need to get out of here!"

"Right… I'm s…" Before she could apologize yet again, she was forced to run after Takashi whom had already began his return towards the mall.

"Saeko-san! Where are Rei and Takashi?" Both Kohta and Saya asked her in panick, fearing the worst.

The panting girl didn't respond. Instead she chose to simply stare towards the blackness of the crash and hope for the best. _In one minute I'm going in._

She didn't have to wait for much longer because all of the sudden one of them flew out of the smoke and lay –dead- on the ground. Immediately after that both Rei and Takashi came running from the smoke. Both of them were coughing loudly as even Saeko could hear it.

It wasn't long before they reached the truck and the blue head helped them up. Because they were out of danger for now they allowed themselves some rest. Both Rei and Takashi fell on their backs and were panting heavily.

"Oh god… oh god… that was so close. So close." The young leader talked to himself and kept repeating those words. The girl with whom he had escaped the smoke had her eyes closed and had unbuttoned her shirt to help her cool down.

They didn't have a lot of time before the first of them appeared from out of the smoke. They came slowly towards them. First Saeko saw one. Then two. Quickly followed up by seven more.

"Kohta-kun. I need your help." She spoke to the young boy. He knew what to do and had prepared himself to the fullest.

Meanwhile Takashi was trying desperately to regain his breath but he was unable to. His entire body felt numb and his vision blurred. He now knew what it was that had bothered Saeko on top of the bus. _If she can withstand it… then so can I._ He crawled back on his feet and as he saw Kohta laying on his belly and preparing to shoot at them he smiled. They'd make it through this. He was convinced of that. "Saeko-san, are you… okay?" Were the first words that came to his mind. He saw that face, and by the gods, did it look ever enrapturing. He didn't know why but even in times like this. Times were all of their lifes were in danger he found himself falling for that girl. She allowed him yet another sight her of smiling face, which was covered by the black smudge of both dust and ash.

"This is not the time Leader." She knew perfectly well that she mocked him by calling him leader. But nevertheless he chuckled before he fell on his knees and gave Kohta a pad on the shoulder.

"AS accurate as always right?"

"hehe, yeah. Already got five of them!" He kept shooting without stopping for more than four seconds. As soon as one of them would come too close it was Takashi whom fired his shotgun at the approaching groups.

Rei was still panting heavily and Saeko simply observed the two boys doing their thing. Once she looked to her side she saw the rest of the group doing what they had to do. Attending to the injured. Getting to know each other. Even though it was extremely dangerous to fight them. Now that they were all out of –range- of their bites. It was an easy, yet exhausting clash.

It was a hard fought battle which went on for at the very least another thirty minutes. When the last one finally fell down by the combined power of the eleven survivors who had all done their thing. –peace- had finally returned. All of them looked at each other. Be it at their wounds, eyes, tears or joy. That awkward moment of meeting and being forced to get to know new people had arrived.

Takashi himself went down first. Followed by Saeko would walked dangerously close to him. Rei came after but she wasn't really looking towards Saeko. She was focussing more on keeping on her feet than Takashi and that witch.

No matter how nice, or insane the four new ones would be. At least they weren't dead.


	10. He'd make himself dead

_So. This chapter will be what I said. I simply have to be able to keep a promise for once in a while!_

_I do not own highschool of the dead. All rights belong to its original author and animators. _

**Act 10: He'd make himself dead.**

"So Jasper-san. Tell us what really happened." Things had gone from peaceful to panic in under thirty minutes. After they had survived yet another clash with them they thought to finally be allowed some rest. Little did they know that is was about to get even more hectic.

Saeko, Kohta and Saya had taken the survivors Jasper and Melany with them to an abandoned store. Why so far away? Because there were three children downstairs. Alice, and the two children of Jasper and his wife.

"What really happened? … I think you and I both know what happened Saeko." The man's eyes weren't making eye contact. He stared at his wife, then at the ground. His fists clenched and his body shaking. Out of anger? Or out of fear? Maybe even both. "Melany here, and Flint downstairs, got bitten… in the buss. Well… not bitten but they were touched by their teeth. And… and…" He looked up and he was obviously crying. A dense drip of liquid ran from his eyes, over his cheeks and fell to the ground.

Kohta couldn't get himself to look at the man's eyes. Saya stared at him, then at Saeko and then at Melany. She looked weak, weaker than when she had entered the mall.

Saeko just kept looking towards the man. She knew that Melany was turning, and she also knew that he knew. Whether or not he was going to accept and face reality was an entirely different story all together.

"Jasper-san. Are you prepared to… kill her?" Saeko asked. Did she have a choice? She could use some lame euphemism or she could say what had to be told. And number two it was. Of course it didn't went unnoticed that Kohta swallowed his surprise, and even Saya thought it was to direct for a minute. But both of them agreed with Busujima. What else was there to do? They both knew that Saeko didn't like to do this. Yet as they were looking at her, she seemed more confident than ever. Her straight back, focussed eyes and firm pose made that fact all to clear. Her hand on the hilt of her blade, and even her bandaged arm had a clenched fist.

_Saeko… choose your next steps carefully please. _Saya was thinking.

"Liberate her? Hehe… She's a free woman. I…I…"

"You know what I mean." Saeko replied emotionless. "Would you like it? To see her as one of them?"

"N…no but I can't just…" The man panicked. He looked at his wife with damp eyes, and noticed that even though she was crying as well, she was shining with confidence.

"Schatje… jij en ik weten allebei beter."

"Maar ik heb het beloof… ik zou je voor altijd beschermen…"

"Liefje. Dat heb je altijd gedaan. Altijd. Nu is het mijn beurt om jou, Flint and Linda te beschermen. "

"Maar… wat bedoel je?"

She chuckled at her man. And took his hand. She loved him, and he loved her. They'd always love each other. But right now there was only one thing that mattered for her. And that was that he'd survive.

"You people… I know I've brought danger to all of you." The woman suddenly started to say. Her eyes suddenly seemed whiter than before. "I know that I'll be a danger to you when … when I become one of them. But please… if only you'd allow me one last minute with my husband… and chil…dren."

"There's no time… Melany-san… I'm sorry but you're already on your limit." That these words weren't spoken by Saeko, but by Saya came as a surprise to all of them. Even Saya herself. She looked at her shoulder in shame because of her heartlessness. However Saeko and Kohta quickly agreed.

"She can still walk for fucks sake! At least let her say goodbye!" The man suddenly screamed. Of course he yelled. Most likely everyone downstairs could hear his voice as well. The two children didn't speak Japanese so that wasn't the problem. The real problem was that they'd come upstairs to check on their father's panicked voice.

"Shhh, keep it down." The woman spoke in Egnlish automatically. "They're right honey…"

"Bullshit! You deserve to see your children once more!"

"Ho…"

"NO!" He turned around and walked towards the door. He kicked it open and looked down at the ground floor. Only to see that something was going on over their as well. Takashi, Rei, Shizuka, Flint and Alice were all clumped together in a group. As his precious daughter had begun to cough up blood. Obviously, they were thinking of the same thing to do down there, than that they were thinking up here.

Neither Saeko, Saya nor Kohta made any gesture of stopping the emotional stressed man. The only thing that'd stop this guy was violence, and that'd only make things worse. Instead they walked outside, and watched at the troubles downstairs.

"Jasper-san…" Kohta mumbled. "… Hug your wife, and get your kids. This is your last chance." He didn't pay attention at the foul looks Saya gave him. Nor did he bother with Saeko's sigh. He figured that he, as a guy, would know best how the man was feeling right now. As their eyes crossed, they gave each other a nod. And without waiting for anyone else's response the man called for his wife to come. Without waiting for her he ran down to get his children. And that… was going to be the biggest mistake he had ever made.

As he ran down the escalators to get his children he heard a load scream followed up by coughing and a liquid touching that ice cold floor. It came from upstairs, and he saw all too well that all three younglings were gazing at it. As he saw Saeko turning her head he saw it in the way she looked.

"Mel…lany…" A sharp noise of steel being drawn from it's sheet seemed to deafen him. Everything around him seemed to stand still. Everything, except the shining light which emitted from that blade. That blade which was about to strike down his most precious possession. His wife. He tried to scream, yell out to her, but there came no sound from his mouth. He swallowed, she cried and shivered. But nothing was going to change the facts and he knew that.

At this very moment another loud scream reached his ears. A children's voice it was. His body automatically looked at Flint and Linda. Only to see his little boy being bitten in it's neck by his precious girl. Everything went colourless, until only black and white remained. His eyes twitched to the right, and he saw both that Takashi guy, and the red head pointing their guns at his children.

His breathing became heavy, insanely heavy. "Melany… Flint…. Linda…. Why? Waarom?" He clenched his fists. His nails drove their way through his soft yet rough flesh.

When he saw the blue haired girl walk towards the woman which he had loved for so long, he felt a short burst of adrenaline shooting through his body with an immense speed. His body moved automatically, and his hand went for the pistol hidden in the pocket of his jacket. As he wrapped his fingers around the cold firearm he got blinded. Not his vision, but his sanity was the thing that went numb. In the blur of the moment he raised his arm, aimed the gun and pulled the trigger. As soon the loud bang reached his ears he repeated the process. The explosive sound of ignition filled the mall and everyone either ducked or tried to see whom it was that was shooting. They didn't have to think for long,

The bullets were fired in all directions except the correct the one.

"He has lost his mind!" Saya yelled as she had found cover behind the little veranda of flowers.

The gun shots enticed Hirano as he had almost shot the man out of reflex but was able to retain himself from doing so.

Saeko herself didn't let it distract her. She knew all too well that he was shooting. She had anticipated that all along. She cut down the wife effortlessly without remorse. Even with a little grin on her face. Not because she hated that woman named Melany, but because she enjoyed the slashed veins, the separated bones and the torn flesh.

Takashi, Rei, Alice and Shizuka had little left to do. "Rei, please … finish things down here. I'll stop that psycho." He ran off towards the escalator with his gun aimed at the guy. He figured that the enraged man was out of ammo for there wasn't a single shot fired anymore. "Jasper! Stop it!" He yelled, but without effect. The man looked at him, then laughed. It wasn't your every day funny sort of laugh. That voice was filled with swallowed sadness and anger. The man ran down towards Takashi with an incredibly fast pace. "Stop! I'll shooot!' Of course he wouldn't. At least not yet. He had done it before right? What was stopping him now? Maybe it was the perpetual fear of his innocence and sadness. That man had just lost everything he cherished within a minute and was forced to deal with it. He lowered his gun at the last moment and with all of his weight the man crashed against Takashi's relative small body. Both of them tumbled down the escalator. Bruises and headaches would be inevitable.

"Takashi!" He heard from both up and down. Then his vision faded. Everything turned black . He felt his every muscle hurt and his head seemed to be floating. But he was alive. Even whilst he was unconscious he could hear the drama of the turmoil around him. From up above Kohta fired but at the last moment turned his gun so he'd miss. That bullet would've hit Takashi as well. The man ran towards Rei, Alice and Shizuka whilst yelling fervently.

"LEAVE THEM ALONE!" Rei however, knew that she had to act. She closed her eyes and shot the first kid down with a point blank shot and screamed to Shizuka Shizuka that she had to end the suffering of the other kid. Then she turned around to face the guy, whom suddenly was a whole lot closer.

It was too late. Her gun was grabbed by the berserker and torn from her hands. That guy was strong, VERY strong. Rei and Takashi never stood a chance. His fist made it's way towards rei's nose whom had made herself small. When the hit landed she felt a stingy pain running through her body. Followed by a small stream of liquid over her face. Luckily for her he didn't finish her of, he grabbed his children, one of them whom still was really –dead- bit him in his neck. He didn't care. Why would he care? It was his child. If his wife and children became one of them, he would do so as well.

Miss Shizuka didn't know what to do, instead she fell on her knees and dropped her colt. It was only now that yet another gunshot became apparent. Hirano Kohta, their sniper. Had pulled the trigger and tackled the guy. His spinal cord was completely drilled by the bullet and he fell to the ground. Screaming in pain, agony and anger.

It was all ended by Saeko, who jumped down from the first storey and ended it all with two swift swipes to their heads. The fact that she had almost snapped both of her ankles didn't really bother her. It had to be done, it was the only way.

Silence and shock now overtook them. Slowly they all gathered themselves up and came to their –senses-. They gathered around the man, and thus around Seaeko. Rei was the first one there, and was clenching to her nose. She didn't think it broke, but it was definitely hit hard. As she saw the three dead being she felt a wave of hopelessness surround her. They had just killed an entire household, hadn't they? Husband, wife and their two children. Why… how could they?

It were Alice and Shizuka who joined the three bodies after Rei. Shizuka, no matter how daft she might have been, felt her eyes getting damp. What had become of them? She hadn't done anything to them? It wasn't her fault… oh please, don't let it be her fault. And Alice? The little girl sobbed. Yet kept herself together. After her father had died. And after the countless encounters with them she found herself getting quite immune to the different situations that would pop up.

Kohta supported Takashi, who had one eye closed and clutched heavily to his chest. He felt weak. That fall had taken its toll on his already tired body. He didn't feel any real emotions yet, all he knew was that they would have to barricade the entrance with more than just the humvee. The explosions that came from the buss had distracted them, but there was no way these gun shots could have gone unheard. Kohta had a mixed feeling. They did what they had to do to save themselves right? That's what everyone would do in a situation like this. Then… why? Why did he feel so bad. They should've known better.

What about Saeko? She hadn't bonded with them at all. Did she feel sad? Of course she regretted killing them. But she didn't mind doing it. The lives of themselves where a lot more important than the lives of four people they didn't know. Were those completely egoistic thoughts? Yes. Yes they were and she knew it. But in a world like this they were given little choice.

Non of them said anything. What was there to say. They had been lucky that non of them had been seriously injured. Rei's nose had stopped bleeding and Takashi could feel the strength in his legs return. Saeko's ankles hadn't even hurt for more than five seconds. It was really only their mental states, which had been hit the hardest. The man lay there, with his two children on the ground. All of them were face down and a big puddle of blood started to appear below them. It was now that Takashi opened his mouth again.

"We need to barricade the entrance. This can't have gone unheard and I want some rest. I need time to think… as do we all I figure. Tomorrow… we'll start looking for out parents." He and Hirano, joined by Rei and Saya began to place some scrap next to the humvee and on top of it. All attached with heavy ropes and within no time they felt… safe. Safe and sorry.

Meanwhile Saeko, with the help of Shizuka and Alice had moved the three bodies to the second level. Crushing Shizuka's spirit even more. But at least it was better than to let them rot in front of their eyes. They got a few buckets of water and flushed the blood away. They wanted to forget. Close their eyes and forget.

A few hours later, they were indeed forced to fight off a few stragglers which had come towards them. But it was nothing which would put them in any real danger. Of course… even a single one of them could ruin it all. But they were… well… experienced enough by now to not simply fall to a single one of them.

They sat around a makeshift sort of campfire. They had taken a fire corf and gotten their hands on plenty of fire wood from the nearby timber shop to last the night. It was a nice, cosy and above all warm fire. Even thought it was only autumn for a little while, the nights already began to get really cold. At times even close to freezing. They had indeed, quite a comfortable life her inside of the mall compared to other survivors who would be out in the open or in some make shift shelter.

Food? There was plenty of it at the moment. Sure, in a few days the meat would start to outdate, and the vegetables as well. But at this point, getting decent food was no problem. Once again the barbeque was used, lettuce was spread and soup was poured. This time it was Saeko whom was cooking. Just like back in the apartment it tasted good, and in the situation they were in, it tasted even better. Their moods were risen, and some jokes were cracked. But nobody was able to start about the thing that troubled them all. Today was close, too close. Both Rei and Takashi got lucky that the guy had no bullets, and didn't try to kill them. Even luckier were the one's who had been targeted by loose projectiles. Hirano, Saya and Saeko hadn't been hit. But it's always … troublesome…. to get shot at.

And then there were Rei, Alice and Shizuka.

Rei was in shock. She had killed a kid, then got beaten by the angry dad, only to notice that an entire household had been brutally murdered by both them, and themselves.

Shizuka wasn't that shocked because of the fact that the mom and dad had faded away. Of course it bothered her. But the fact, that horrible fact, that they had let two harmless children abandon life annoyed, saddened and almost enraged her. Very much unlike her, she was actually the most serious of the whole lot at this point.

It was when Takashi and Kohta finished their meals that they finally started talking about it.

Saeko hadn't joined them, and was busy making the last two meals for both herself and little Alice. Who had helped her out with getting everything and brining it to the people. Saeko wasn't the best motherly kind, but maybe that was exactly what Alice needed at this point. Someone who'd say what things are like, not someone who'd baby her up.

"Tsss, couldn't you have at least waited for everyone to at least be ready." Saya remarked as soon as she noticed the two were done. Takagi hadn't really been paying a lot of attention to everyone for she was thinking about what everyone was letting their minds think about.

"Well… we could. But our tummies sure couldn't."

"Sheesh… always rushing in." Rei sighed out.

"It's just food. Come on, it's not that big of a deal." Both Kohta and Takashi responded. Annoyed at the two girls, what where they bothering with anyways? They got the food to eat right? What else to do with it?

"We still need respect for each other! Alice-chan and Saeko-san haven't even started eating!'

"S-Saeko.. ah." Yeah, Saya was right. As soon as she used that –Saeko argument- Takashi had been silenced. Kohta noticing that, kept his mouth shut as well.

The two other girls now joined them. Alice taking her place on Miss Shizuka-san's lap, and Saeko sitting down on the ground next to the nurse, and Saya to her left. Takashi in front of her. Left of him Rei, and right was Hirano. She as well noticed Takashi and Kohta already having finished their meals. Being one of the original Japanese culture, her eyes twitched a bit. But then she figured that they had only ate that fast if they liked the food, so that was a non-verbal compliment. Even better was, that when she looked at Takashi. Saeko noticed that he felt sorry and blushed, and as soon as their eyes crossed he coughed and sputtered out a sentence that'd be the onset of the following issue within the group.

"D'ermm… so. About today. What happened?" As soon as these words flowed out of his lips he was penetrated by six knifing stares. Yet everybody knew, that there was no getting around it. It was Rei who opened her mouth first.

"We killed a family in cold blood. That's what happened."

"Rei! No need to put it that bluntly! We had no choice!" Saya yelled back.

"Well it's the truth is it! We killed them! All of them!" She cried out. Tears were gathering in her eyes, ready to stream out as soon as she'd be pushed further.

"They were infected Rei-san. There was nothing we could do about Melany or Linda." Kohta interrupted. Trying to prevent Rei from yelling at Saya, and the otherway around. But most of all he just wanted to protect Saya.

"Don't use their names you fat nerd! That'll only make things worse!" were the words he got in return for his brave line. He didn't respond, what was there to respond to? He lowered his head, and looked at his knees.

"Shh, Saya. St.."

"Oh shut it. He had it coming." She knew that her words were too harsh. Sadly the intensity of the moment made her spout them out. "Sorry…" was whispered softly from her lips. But to no direct effect.

"We could have just let that man live! And the little boy could've been protected!" Rei spoke simply to continue the conversation. Now that they had started it, they'd finish it.

"No we couldn't… he lost his sanity. And the boy was bitten. They'd have turned against us anyways." Takashi replied.

"That's crap! That man would've returned to us in due time! Yet we let him get himself bitten. And now he's dead. He dead becau…" Before she had finished her sentence she remember whom had actually killed the man. Saeko… Even though she didn't do this on purpose. This was one perfect opportunity to blame her for something. "… Because of you!" She pointed her finger towards Busujima. Only to get no response.

She was trying hard to eat her cooked noodles with just one hand, which proved harder than one might think. That's why she wasn't really paying attention to the matter at hand. At least, not at the allegation that was thrown at her. After a few seconds when she looked up again, she finally noticed everyone looking at her. Some, at that long string of food that was still hanging on her mouth, and others at her eyes. She had indeed killed him, but it was Kohta that injured him. And takashi whom wanted to do it first.

"Aren't you going to answer ?" Rei asked. Softly this time. Thinking that she had hit a weak spot.

"I'm eating."

"We're talking over here! About the future of our little group!"

"I know." She continued eating. Of course Saeko knew how rude it was of her. And yes, she did it just to annoy Rei. Why wouldn't she?

"Tsss… at any rate. I think our LEADER, should at the very least try to LEAD this conversation." Rei then added. It seemed as if Saya agreed with her, for she nodded.

"I… what is there to talk about? We thought we were about to do something good. We thought we saved them. We couldn't have known that one of them was bitten."

"Two…. Two of them." Shizuka-sensei added.

"You're right. I'm sorry… Anyways.."

"No not anyways. Here you go again!" The red head interrupted.

"Rei. Not now. Let me finish."

"You a…"

"LET! Me finish. Neither could we have known that that guy would lose it like that. He came across strong and confident. I … I suppose everyone is weak from the inside." When he said this he though of Saeko. She was the perfect example. No matter how tough, or cold. How smart or how stunning. He had seen her weak side.

Saeko knew what he thought. Sure, she was eating so she was able to hide her facial reaction. Yet it hit her. It hit her like a double edged blade. One edge, cared about her. And the other thought she was weak. And the latter was exactly the thing which she did NOT want to be.

"So what? I didn't mean that Takashi!. What I want you to think about is the fact that we have a murderer in our group. Two to be honest." This time she pointed at both Saeko and Kohta. Of course, her finger put emphasize on Saeko.

Immediately Hirano sighed and completely hid his face. Shizuka coughed and looked away

It was weird, surprising even that it was Alice whom interrupted her. Not with a whole lot of words. But just by shouting "Rei!". But that deadly stare she got for her disrespect silenced her again.

"Rei… they protected us." Takashi stuttered.

Even Saya herself thought this was pushing it. Sure they had indeed… killed him. But to use the term murder was respect less, and to blame them was rude. Miyamoto knew damn well that she was being unreasonable. She felt sorry for Kohta, and even a bit for Saeko. She wanted to say sorry, only to be prevented from doing so by the glassed guy.

"Rei-san… we did not murder him. We saved him… from a destiny of being one of them. There's a major difference…"

"Y… your right. But still…"

"Miyamoto Rei. What are you trying to prove?" Saeko suddenly asked annoyed, as she put down her bowl. Her voice was calm and didn't stutter like the others did.

The red head didn't really know what to say. What was she trying to prove? That Saeko was a senseless killer? That it was she, whom belonged to Takashi and not that her? That they were losing their sanity? "I'm…"

"You're trying to blame a mistake we have all undergone, on me and Kohta-kun."

"Of course I am. You two were the ones that shot, and killed him!"

"We didn't have a choice. Instead of discussing how bad me and Kohta are. We should be talking about how we can prevent something similar to occur next time." She looked at the rest of the group and saw them either nodding, or whispering a soft –"You're right."-

"Yes we should. But not after we're all clear on the fact that we shouldn't kill off every single person that loses his mind for a while!"

"Shut up! We didn't do that for our pleasure! We did it because it was needed!" Kohta suddenly threw at her as he stood up with a straight back.

"Can it! Rei is right!" the blonde nurse yelled in defence of Rei. Everyone was surprised once again by her sudden determination, but it didn't really matter now.

Saya as well, wanted to pick a side. But neither of the –parties- were a real option for her. Instead she chose to hold her mouth until she'd be able to say something useful. And Takashi? He was the leader right? Should he let them finish, or should try to stop them. The second option it was.

"All of you! Stop it already! If this keeps on we're going to get split up!" He yelled as hard as he could. For a little while it seemed successful, up until the point where the enraged and sad voices were instead thrown at his direction, and thus he got unintentionally involved in the fighting. At this point Saeko, Saya and Alice were the only ones not screaming.

Saya however immediately jumped in the fray as the word –dumb- was used.

False arguments were used, and right ones were denied. Nobody even knew the original subject of the row anymore. Saeko hinted at Alice to join her and take some distance from the fight. Only to feel her spine be pierced by that voice which became more and more dreaded.

"Where do YOU think you're going?"

Rei walked up to her, and pointed back at the group. "You of all people should feel sorry! If it weren't for your bold and tactless rush to safe them, we wouldn't be dealing with this now!"

"Rei, this is not my fault. Now stop with offending us and pitting us against each other."

"I'm doing what? It's you who keeps…" All of the sudden she felt herself being pulled towards that indigo girl. In one lightning swift movement Saeko had grabbed the collar of Rei's shirt and pulled her directly in front of her own face. Their entire bodies had become one. There legs against each other, belly's pressed against each others', and breasts changing form to the other ones'.

Rei tried to move back but only just now noticed the strength which that girl had hidden behind that cute face. She was scared shitless and as the redhead saw those blinking and furious eyes she closed her own. Expecting a fist in her face or something similar any second now. Nothing happened. Just that immense force holding her close. As she opened her eyes again all she saw where those deep blue eyes. Sparkling as ever, but instead of giving her tickles in the stomach like they did with Takashi, they caused Rei to shiver, scream and almost struggle even.

Then she heard those whispered words. That monotone voice was filled up completely by a soft hiss. It sounded like a snake in Rei's ears. "One slip Rei, one slip. Is all it takes for me to end your cosy little bossy life. One slip and nothing more." The force which Saeko used increased by tenfold and Rei stuttered out some moans of pain. "Are we clear on that? Miyamoto?"

"Y… y… let go off me!" Before she agreed Rei had regained her composure. And with one hard push she released herself from Saeko's grip. As soon as some distance was created and the red head was allowed some breathing space she became furious. Which of course wasn't that strange. And when she looked up to yell at that girl the only thing that stopped her was that pale hand on the hilt of a katana and that awful, awful grin. The rest of the group hadn't really noticed their… little conversation. And besides Takashi and Alice, non had even seen it. But of course… if there was one person whom mattered to both Rei and Saeko, it would've been Takashi.

The night fell, and after one more hour that discussion had finally come to an end. They didn't scream all the time, but a lot more topics had come to be discussed. Was a leader really a good idea? Should they make proper tactics? Should they allow more people to enter the group? Most of them were trivial matters and had clear answers. And others really hit soft spots on singular persons. But after a while they all realized how dumb it was what they were doing. With a few… unmeant… handshakes they apologized. And went back to do things they always wanted to do. A few more hours before it would be bed time again, thus now came the discussion whom who'd stand on guard duty this night. It didn't take long for Saeko to volunteer. She'd slept more than any of them since she had gotten herself injured. It'd only be fair to stay awake for a night and allow the rest of the group their well earned rest.

Two more hours passed with basically nothing happening. One of them managed to reach the humvee and scared the living hell out of the small group when it suddenly bashed against the barricade. But it was nothing which they couldn't solve.

Afterwards they had gotten their hands on multiple things to amuse themselves with.. That used yathzee game, simple cards, risk and chess. A game of risk was suggested, but nobody was in the mood. Instead it ended with Kohta and Saya playing chess, to see whom was allowed the fuzzy blanket. They could've just gotten another one, but this was a whole lot more amusing. Of course… the winner was already decided from the beginning. Nevertheless, it got a smile on most of their faces. After a few last snacks and useless sentences they all went asleep. Everyone except Saeko of course. By now they knew that there were non of them in the mall itself. So instead of staring into the blackness inside, Saeko had made herself a cosy little hut inside of the humvee. All of the chairs had been lowered ever since the beginning and there was enough space for her to lay down, sit, stand or whatever suited her best.

Her vision was perfect. The sky was clear and the reflecting moonlight and stars allowed her to oversee the parking lot without difficulty. The smouldering wreckage, a little a measly hundred meters away was yet another lights source. A lot of them had gathered around the buss and were clumsy enough to walk in the fire, thus after a while died. But the major part of them simply stood there. Most likely –hoping- that a living being would pass by and become their next prey.

Needless to say, the lampposts weren't working. It was a good thing Saeko had perceptive eyes, so even without the fire and open sky, seeing wouldn't be that much of a difficulty for her.

She had gotten herself a thermo can full of hot tea, and a little bowl of rice. It made her giggle a little bit. At least she wasn't as stupid as Takashi to enter such a long night unprepared. It was also now that she noticed her shoulder being able to move again without hurting all too much. _One… maybe two days? Then I'll finally be back to my old self. I apologize if I let any of you down. Even if non of you say it out loud… I know I did. I feel like I did._

She wanted to know how late it was. It was discouraging to not know the time, and when she could be expecting the rising sun. Sadly for her it would be at least another eight hours before that right would be granted to her. One thing she knew for sure however, next night they'd do shifts. The bowl of rice was eaten almost immediately, for she hadn't really gotten the chance to properly eat before. For now, she would just watch them. She sat behind the steering wheel, leaning on top of it. Her eyes gazed through the damp glass and crossed the parking lot. She saw the hordes of them. Of course, she just wanted to go out and slash a few of them. But she knew all too well that that'd be stupid. Besides, the improvement of her shoulder gave her an extra willpower boost to NOT overuse her shoulder.

"*sigh*." Already the boredom struck her. And even though she thought she had prepared herself for this, a book or two couldn't hurt. Wrapping a blanket around herself she still felt a chilly and uncomforting cold slowly crouching over her spine, hands and legs. Every time she'd exhale a small cloud of her warm breath came from her lips. It was cold. Very much so all out of the blue. It was only just autumn right? Ah well… weather is unpredictable.

When one of them managed to catch flame because of its own stupidity she couldn't help but to giggle a little. "Stupid creatures…" This was one of the first times she actually saw them as beasts, and not as deformed humans. One more sip from her cup of tea was all it took for a soft warmth to take over for a few seconds. It was a comforting, and above all relaxing sensation.

Focussing intensely on the outside, she had barely noticed the footsteps that were coming towards her from the back. Were they Takashi's? They sure sounded as rude and tactless as Kumoro's footsteps had always sounded like. She turned her head, and yes, As she saw a smiling face appearing, it was indeed him.

"Saeko-san… I figured I'd keep you company." He spoke quite reluctantly and soft. He knew that he shouldn't wake up anyone or he'd rise a lot of questions.

"T… Takashi-kun? What ar… no I mean… You should be sleeping." Her eyes jumped open and her heart pounded a little faster. Now that she thought about it, she could have expected this.

"Maybe I should. But I owe you one for yesterday night. Do… do you mind if I join you?"

"No. … of course not I mean!" Takashi moved inside of the humvee as well. He was taller than Saeko, thus he moved quite clumsily. Nevertheless, he reached the two front chairs, and sat down on the other one. It wasn't raised, so he basically sat down on a plank covered with leather. An boy, did he immediately notice the cold in front of this vehicle.

"UHm.. Saeko-san?"

She had been watching him sitting down. And though he tried to hide it, he was obviously cold. Should she offer him his blanket? Not before he'd ask.

"what's wrong?"

"Well… it's been a tough day and I'd like to talk about some things. If that's okay with you?"

"Of course it is."

"Well, first of all. What where you thinking? Running off like that?" Whilst he thought he would stutter with this question. He actually spouted it out with a lot of confidence.

"What I was thinking? I'm not quite …sure." She looked him in the eyes, and immediately saw him blushing and looking away. _Hihi, he's confident with his words, but not with his body. _

"You risked not only our lives… but yours as well. And Saeko-san… I…"

"Takashi-kun. Shhh. I promise…." She waited for him to look her in the eyes before continuing her sentence." … that I will not take a risk like that again. I didn't know the damp was toxic, nor had I any clue of their state. It's just that…. That…"

"That?" His leg began to shake and he couldn't stop. Even in the dark, her eyes sparkled. Shrouded by a nigh impenetrable blackness because of the night and her lustrous hair, a white comforting light still escaped her eyes. Oh boy did his heart pound. He didn't want to talk about this, but it was necessary. He never wanted her to risk her life like that again. It was strange… he cared less about his own life, than he did about hers'. Was that healthy?

"It's just that… I'm the better fighter. I wanted to clear a path for you."

She didn't lie. It hadn't been her intention before. But when one would search deep inside of her heart, they would immediately recognize the truth. "I wanted to clear a path for you to be safe. For … them to be safe. Just…" This line was never meant to be finished. And it would never finish. She heard Takashi raise his nose and staring at her blanket.

"Takashi-kun, are you cold?" _Of course he is… I knew that from the beginning._

"What? No. I'm fine."

"You're full of pride." She stood up, and moved towards him. A small surprised sound escaped his lips. He immediately shoved to the side a little to give her some space to sit down. Getting the hint, she did indeed sit down next to him. However, this time she directly made sure that her body shared warmth with Takashi's.

" Mister Takashi-kun. Would you like to share this blanket with me, to warm up?" She joked a little. Using his own verbal tactics against him. Of course, knowing that she wasn't the best joker around Saeko didn't really laugh about herself. But as soon as Takashi's happiness reached her ears and consciousness she smiled with him.

"I'd be honoured. Miss Busujima-Saeko." They wrapped the blanket around the both of them. Luckily they had been given the luxury of blankets which were meant for tall people, so they both fitted in without too much troubles.

Her hips being one with his'. Her shoulder touching his' as well. All of it was a nice feeling. And under the relaxing warmth of the blanket the positive tension increased quite quickly. However, it wasn't quite the time to completely settle down yet.

"Takashi, if I may. UHm..." She looked away for a moment, then grabbed his hand. Instead of pulling back accidently, he intentionally held her hand tightly as he as well, stared outside.

"…, what you said. You mean that right? That you… liked me?"

The question made him laugh a bit. "Of course I meant it. Why?"

"It's just that… I know I shouldn't bring this up." She made a very little bow. " But, about you and Rei."

"Yes. What about it?" He didn't want to sound this rude, but this was still a very sensitive subject. He even saw her doubting for a moment and wanted to reform his sentence, but she already finished her question.

"Do you still love her?" As soon as these words had left her mouth she felt relieved. No matter what his response would be, she'd at least know the truth. Takashi closed his eyes and squeezed her hand quite hard. It didn't hurt, but it was still weird. It was different from the loving grip from before. This was… adoration for Saeko, and resent against Rei. But it was also a grip full of hidden love for that redhead.

"Saeko… I…"

"It's okay. I have prepared myself."

"I don't… love Rei anymore. Not in the way I think I love y…. I don't love her like that anymore. But you must know that she and I have a very rich history and that's not something I can… I can put aside just yet."

Did he just really say he loved her? She thought she had heard it before but this time it really hit the spot. She wrapped her hand around his' more intensely now as well.

"Takashi, I… there's one thing I must say."

"Hm? Please… don't hold back for me." He spoke sarcastically. But he meant it. In fact, he had never been more serious. He wanted nothing more than a Saeko who would entrust him with everything.

"Miyamoto and me. We have entered a state of hostility and…"

"Saeko-san. I know. I've seen it ever since today. It's… about me I take it?" The teenager's part of his mind jumped in the air out of happiness. Two stunning girls in love with him? But the Takashi part of his brain felt sorry. Sorry for Rei? Saeko? Maybe a bit for both.

"It…" It was quite embarrassing for her to say. "…is just that…. We have both resorted to physical violence at least once. And…"

Whilst he would love to let her complete her sentence. He hadn't actually expected them to have fought?

"Physical violence? What?"

"It doesn't matter what. It happened. And I need you to know that me and Miyamoto are on less than friendly terms right now. And.."

"It does matter!"

"Stop interrupting me." She spoke quite seriously, a bit annoyed even. No matter how much she cared for him. Being interrupted wasn't something she liked. She saw her crush's questioning face and immediately gave him a little bow again. Shit, was she bad at this. Whenever they'd all be together in tough situations. She was able to keep her cool, and act wise, tough and correct constantly. But now that she was alone with him? Her very vocabulary seemed to have faded away.

"As I was saying. I'd like to.. well, since you're the leader. I'd like you to keep that in mind."

"Saeko-san… is that all?" He replied. Quite to the dislike of Saeko. Was that all? She had just spo… "Of course I'll keep that in mind. You didn't even need to ask." He tried to move a little closer to her only to notice that that was night impossible. Both due to her shoulder, and the fact that that they were already so closely together. It was also now that their eyes touched again. Their pupils made direct contact as both of their eyes shook in anticipation. They both wanted to kiss, but there was something which was stopping them.

"How… is that wound treating you?'

"Hmm? Oh this. It's healing. I don't feel it quite as much anymore. In fact, I barely feel it." She moved her shoulder up and down, and did indeed feel nothing. Whether that was because of her mind trying to stay tough, or whether it had actually healed didn't really matter. Suddenly, an enormous urge to get the bandages off, penetrated her mind.

"That's good to hear!"

"Takashi… I want these bandages off." She wanted to pull her sweater off to rid herself of that burden. But when she saw the guy sweating and swallowing his excitement she stopped. Only to make him feel more uncomfortable and great at the same time with her following question. "C-can you help me please?" This was unlike her. Had she just asked him to… help her to partly undress and.. well. You know?

Did he really need to answer? Of course he wanted that. Nothing more. And if this moment were to be ruined by his stupid urge to talk now, he'd make himself dead.

_I'm sorry I haven't posted for quite some time. But I had a test week, last 5 days. And yeah, as you can guess. I had to study a LOT! So there you have it, the reason. Please forgive me. _

_I decided to move the well… -erotic- part to the next chapter. I figured this was going to be too long. I might make it a short chapter. Only those 8 hours of night. Both love, and sleep will be written. I'm planning to make them answer things in the way I'd like to see things in Highschool of the dead. Whilst doing.. stuff? Nothing too much I suppose. That'll be in 4 chapters or so. But y'know. I don't know at leasy, so neither can you. Forgive my sillyness._

_Going to bed now! Good night all!_

_From now on chapters will be posted faster again. I once again apologize! _


	11. Set up by mister Dead

_Right, next chapter this is. I don't think I have anything important to say beforehand, so let's get to it._

_I do not own Highschool of the dead. All rights belong to it's original author and animators. _

**Act 11: **

_Is this really a smart thing to do? What if I re-open it…? _ As she turned her back towards Takashi, so he could help her with taking of her sweater she began to doubt. Not about revealing her body, but about the act itself. Was it clever to do such a thing without doctor's advice?

"Takashi-kun. Wait for a bit." She tried moving her shoulder some more. And it did indeed, barely hurt. Her eyes looked left and right, thinking a bit about the current situation. But what did it matter? She could make both herself, and Takashi happy by doing so she figured.

"Wh - what's wrong? " He asked with a worried voice.

"I'm just thinking about doing this. You know? Take the bandages off. Shizuka-san hasn't said anything about it yet and I'm afraid that by doing so I'll curse myself to yet another few days with bandages."

"Well… you say it doesn't hurt right? You can take it off and…." _What am I saying? She should keep them on. Should I… but I want to… No, her health is the most important. "… _Uhm, I mean. Saeko-san. I think it's for the best to keep it on. And ask Shizuka-sensei about it tomorrow morning." He felt a little drop of sweat running over his front head. He saw the slender girl sitting in front of him. Because of the dark he couldn't see her every detail. But his fantasy and obsession with the girl made up for that.

"Maybe you're right but. I…" She grabbed the end of her sweater and had to resist pulling it off. It was less about pleasing Takashi than about pleasing herself. She wanted to move her numb hand. Train with it, slash with it and hug with it.

"… Let's just take it off. You're the leader right? I need your permission." Seducing wasn't her best way of getting things done. But hey, it helped right? She immediately heard some soft grunts escaping the mouth behind her.

"Right, then. Okay, let's rid you out of those bandages." Not realizing how greedy he was acting he tried to regain his calm. They weren't doing anything wrong no? Just this?

Without saying another thing she pulled the oversized sweater over her head. For her it was a matter of one single movement. She didn't need his help for this one.

Yet for Takashi it was slow, beautiful and slow. Could he help it he was just a 17 year old teenager? Even in the middle of the night and shrouded by darkness, he could see her pale skin appearing in front of him. The dark purplish bra eyed pure black in this night, and the bandages were just a tad whiter than her skin. At the spot of the wound itself was a dark, red spot. It wasn't damp, nor was it really red. The blood had dried, and that was a good sign. She carefully laid down the sweater on the ground before placing her hand on the wound and turning her head to Takashi. She saw his face.

He might not have seen hers, but her eyes were a whole lot more keen. She saw him biting his lips softy, his hands shaking and his head turning red. Hence, even her own head was getting warmer. Not only her head, but her entire body. And that whilst it was freezing outside? Nevertheless, they weren't doing this just so they could feel this tension. They did it to get of those bandages.

"Takashi-kun, please undo those two little clips. I think I can do the rest myself." She spoke quite emotionless. She liked seeing him like this, but she didn't like him to see HER like this. Once again, not because of showing her body. But because she didn't want to look weak, or clumsy, in this case.

"Right. I'll be careful."

"I know you will. But it doesn't hurt anymore. So don't worry too much." Saeko felt his hand stumbling over those two little iron clips. She only realized just now that she actually was very ticklish. Her lips were having troubles with keeping closed and to release some soft giggles. _That would just be embarrassing. _ As her thoughts were focussing on both the tickling, his hands and the removal of the bandages she didn't really noticed it when he was done.

"Saeko-san? Saeko?" He asked. Maybe even more than two times, but she only heard two. As soon as his soft voice reached her ears she was shaken back to reality again. And yes, she loved him.

"Takashi, I don't think I can do this with one hand. Please help me out a bit.' This was half flirting, and half reality. The plaster which kept it all together was on her back, just out of arms reach.

"Sure, the pleasure is mine. Are you sure you want this?"

"Yes. I'm sure. Thanks for worrying."

His hands worked their ways around her arm. Sure, his eyes glanced at her back and the bra strip, but he desperately tried to focus on the job he had to do. At first it went easy, then as he got further and further it became harder. He had to tread carefully, for he was still quite frantic about the thought of re-opening her wound. He thought he saw her sitting a little closer against him, but he was most likely seeing things. But… what was she doing? Neither of them really spoke and she was merely looking outside of the window.

It was rather annoying that the antibiotics on the wound were this sticky and the crust of the injury had grown over them. It wasn't that dramatic for they could be removed or ignored quite easily.

"Takashi?"

"Hmm?" He bit his own tongue without realizing He tried to avoid touching her skin, just to avoid any innuendo's but of course that was hard. Very much so. Especially because she didn't really sit still. Or maybe he just couldn't keep his hands still.

"Do you think that people deserve love? No matter what they have done in the past? And I'm not talking about me, but more about the general public. Do you think that… they, still deserve some love?"

"Them deserving love?" He followed the track of her eyes and locked upon two of them. A –man- and a –woman-. Of course they hadn't been married, but it eyed that way. "I… No. They're not themselves anymore are they?"

"But… are they really that different from the rest of us? Doesn't their craving for flesh remind you of mankind's thirst for power?"

"I… Well… I see your point. But I think that's pushing it. Mankind wants power, but we don't eat people just for the thrill of doing so."

"Yes but… what if they…" She stopped talking. Mostly because she didn't know what she was aiming at. Trying to redeem them? Trying to justify them? Or just stating her mind?

"What if they?"

As he saw her think he saw his chance. In one sudden motion he pulled off the bandages along with the antibiotics. As he did this he heard a little squeal. Not that hard, and she was not in that much pain. Nevertheless he immediately apologized.

"Sorry sorry sorry! I didn't mean to!"

"It's okay. It had to be done right."

Takashi laughed a bit. How the heck could she just act like that? He obviously hurt her and yet she stayed deadly calm. It was yet another thing which added to her mystique.

Saeko immediately moved her shoulder again and gazed at the wound. A small stream of blood came from it, but that was most likely just because of Takashi's method from before.

"It looks okay, doesn't it?" Takashi remarked. 'He saw her eyes focussing to check her own situation, and the sinister smile on her face made him feel delighted.

"Yes, I think it does. It feels so… relieved… right now." Her eyes now turned towards Takashi. But instead of saying something romantic she simply asked: "Thank you, could you hand me my sweater please?"

"What? Oh uhm, yes sure." He wasn't really offended because he didn't expect anything. He just hoped for some things to happen. Yet, as he turned around to grab her sweater her hand was swiftly placed on his'.

"Takashi-kun?" She whispered.

"Y… yeah? What's wrong?" This remark made her giggle a bit.

"Haha, nothing is wrong. In fact… It's been long since I've felt so good." As soon as he wanted to respond she placed her finger on his lips. Not like last time, back then it was rushed. This time her finger felt soft, soft and warm. She stood up, grabbed the blanket and sat down directly next to him. Immediately wrapping the blanket around them they started talking again.

"You're ice cold?" He spouted out as he felt her shivering body against his. He hadn't thought about it, but she had been sitting still all this time without a sweater. And the temperature was at the very least minus two degrees Celsius.

"Yes I know." Saeko let her body rest against his' in the hopes of warming up.

"Doesn't it bother you?" He wondered.

After a small self sinister giggle she replied: "No, once you accept the cold it turns it to warmth automatically."

"Wh… what?"

"Haha. It means that I got used to it."

"But…" Instead of talking he acted. He wrapped his arm around her body and only just now realized that her sweater never was put on again. Of course he blushed, and she as well. Nevertheless he liked it. He liked that cold body of hers. Pressing her firmly against him she responded by resting her head on his shoulder.

"Uhm, Saeko-san?"

"Hm?"

"Can I…?"

"Of course." She interrupted him. Knowing all too well that he wanted to say something, there was no point in dragging it out.

"Well, you said you and Rei had some conflicts. Then you told me to keep that in mind. But… what do you want me to do?"

"Nothing. Just keep it in mind." She blatantly replied.

"What do you mean?"

"What I said. It's up to you what you do. Not me."

"But.." He stopped as he now felt her hand wrapping around his back as well. It tickled a bit, but nothing which his body couldn't handle.

"You'll know what to do Takashi."

He looked at her big blue eyes. And once again, that spell drained him of his defence. His pupils locked with hers' and he felt that urge. That incredible urge to kiss that girl. And what was stopping him? Lingering thoughts? Or maybe just hesitation. He didn't have to think for long though, for it was she who moved her face a little closer. He could feel her breath on his face. He never thought he could love a mere scent that much. He had gotten used to the dark for quite some time now so he could actually see her face. Takashi himself felt his breathing become heavier as well, and as soon as she opened her mouth to talk he responded.

Rushing his head forwards he planted his lips on hers'. Before she could have even closed her mouth she felt his tongue exploring her mouth. She was shocked at this sudden move and felt herself hungering for air. But to break this kiss would be heresy.

He didn't calm down, quite the contrary even. He now wrapped both of his hands around her back and once again pushed her body to the ground. His mind went astray, and most sense of logic had already disappeared. He just wanted this, and he felt and saw, that she wanted it as well.

Once her back was again laid down they found themselves struggling to lay down comfortable. Struggling to not collapse on her and crush the girl under his weight he supported himself by pressing his hips against hers. And in between this all, their lips hadn't separated for longer than one second.

Saeko felt her eyes closing automatically and had begun to respond to his tongue with her own. Yet the fact that she was out of breath didn't help her –struggle-. Placing her hands on his back she pulled him in closer.

They kept on doing this for at least two more minutes before They separated their warm and blushing heads. Both of them were breathing heavily and god forbid, already sweating a bit.

"You and your ways." She panted out. This hadn't been the first time he had done stuff like this to her on such a rough and unorthodox manner. Not that she minded though, the honour was all hers.

He didn't really respond besides giving her a smile. Yes, he was sure now. He loved this girl, and not the other one. But even if he wanted to think about this now he couldn't. His eyes were automatically surveying her body, and seeing that soft pale skin of her face , small neck , and of course her perfect breasts made him want to continue. He didn't have to wait for that long, for he suddenly felt two hands on his behind. It tickled, but not annoyingly so. It's needles to say that both of them were aroused.

Saeko hadn't done things like this before. She didn't even know if she was kissing him right. And even questioned if she touched his hindquarters the right way. As her senses came back to her she felt a cold breeze running over her skin. Shivering a bit she crawled her hands through his hair and looked him in the eyes.

"Takashi,… I think I…" As always, saying those words were annoyingly hard when the time to actually speak them came. "…I know I… love you." As she spoke these words he laughed out loud. Not at her, but at her remark. It was a laugh filled with joy, and hungrily he responded with the stereotypical: "I love you too."

Much more needn't be said. They looked each other in the eyes and without thinking about it once again connected their lips. Takashi felt his hips moving automatically and couldn't help but grinding against hers' once again. He heard her noises of ecstasy, they weren't that loud but they were there all right. This kiss was a lot more calm and allowed them to at least breath a bit. He felt her hands going underneath his shirt and was pleased to notice that they were warm, and not cold anymore.

_Takashi-kun… please let this feeling last. Please… protect her from me._

It was now that she suddenly felt a warm, tickling and enjoyable shot running through her body. Whilst she was thinking about what would become of her and Rei, her back automatically arched a tiny bit.. His hand were placed on her left breast and massaged it fervently.

That was Takashi's way all right. Always doubt beforehand but once he sets himself to do something he does it with passion. He felt her soft yet firm breast in his hand. Even through her bra his skin and entire body warmed up. Of course, this feeling was even stronger for her. Whilst his lips were still connected with her mouth she couldn't help but to cry out softly. Why did it feel so good anyways? She didn't know the answer, but she did know that it was Takashi whom was doing this. As he began to squeeze harder she began to moan harder. Never too loud though, for she knew all too well whom was sleeping outside. She bit her lips in order to muzzle herself and it worked.

Rain started to pour down, in within no time it was raining cats and dogs. Because of this they could at least produce some sounds. But it was Saeko whom stopped it.

"Takashi.." She grabbed his wrist reluctantly and looked him in the eyes. She was sure that she was going to regret the following sentence but it had to be told. As he heard her voice and felt her hand stopping him he paid attention and was immediately kicked out of his drift.

"Takashi, you need to sleep. You haven't slept for quite some time… and I don't want to be the one whom does that to you."

"I'll be fine. Don't worry about me."

"No, don't get me wrong. I don't mean to stop this bu hmpff…"

Once again their lips touched, as Takashi continued his little adventure. Completely ignoring her warnings. Not that she minded, she had purely tried to make him stop for his own good. She could lay like this for the entire night.

The rain got more intense and the tinkling sound of the water splashing against the car's glass reached their ears.

Takashi pulled the blanket over the both of them and rid himself of his school jacket. _That thing is getting old anyways. _ They had finally find the perfect spot to lay down and were finally able to find some support. However, Takashi moved from her body and simply laid down next to her. Their bodies still touched and he sure as hell felt her leg crawling over his's. But he thought that it was inappropriate to lay in that way, that's why he had moved himself like this. The rain blocked out most of their puffs and whispers, and even the two of them were having a hard time with making up each other's noises.

"Takashi… you should really stop with acting so sudden.." Saeko smiled at him.

"Yeah maybe I should. But it just turns out that way."

Neither of them really did anything. Being engulfed by the others' warmth was more than enough for today. Did they want to continue? Sure. Maybe even more than anything. But they couldn't. Not with the thought of waking up the others and being busted. And not with the thought of rushing things. Even though they didn't have all the time of their lives, they wanted to think they had. Every minute they could suddenly be bitten an turned into one of them, but of course that wasn't something they thought about. Their hands explored each other's bodies just a bit more, and Takashi rested his hand on her breasts but nothing like before. They just locked eyes and smiled. Thinking about their feelings for one another, thinking about their future and their past. The flame of love was burning fervently right now, and there was nothing which could stop that.

"Takashi, I want you to get some sleep now. I mean it." She remarked after about thirty minutes of silence. "If we're going to search your and Miyamoto's parents tomorrow you'll need some sleep."

"*sigh…* Yeah you're right. But…"

"Takashi. I said I meant it. It's for your own good." She spoke on a strict tone and sat up. Knowing all too well she was being stupid right now. Yet Saeko was convinced that he need his sleep, and his sleep he would get. Luckily Takashi understood and sat down next to her.

The boy looked at his newfound lover and chuckled. "Yep."

"Yep?"

"Yep, we're going to be all right."

"What do y…" Before she could finish her sentence he stood up and suddenly walked away. Saeko heard him laugh softly, and noticed all too well that he was hiding a grin on his face. But what did he mean? When he had hopped out of the vehicle she simply gazed at the opening.

"What just... happened?" She spoke to herself. Blinking a few times Saeko picked up the sweater and pulled it over her head. She was glad to finally be able to use both of her hands again. Maybe she could even dress up in her old uniform again tomorrow morning. That'd be great. She sat down and presented herself another cup of tea. There wasn't much which was going to ruin her day now. Besides of course, the fact that she had six hours or so left before dawn would arrive.

Her lips still tasted like Takashi's, and she actually felt the place where he had massaged her. A small tinkle relit her flame, but eventually it was time to get serious again. She had guard duty and she was going to finish it.

Wrapping the blanket around herself, and taking a sip of tea she was ready for whatever the world was going to throw at her. At least… for what it would throw at her today.

Maybe this life was just temporary, and just another dirty trick set up by mister dead.

_I am very unpleased with this chapter. I actually didn't feel like writing what I did, but I figured I had to do it for the sake of the story. Next love scene will be a lot more… well, fun to read? I apologize if I got your moods up._

_School is asking more of me than I initially thought. That's why they come out so slowly._

_Thanks for reading, have a good one!_


	12. Face dead once again

_Once again, and I'll keep saying it anyways. Thanks for the support I get from all of you. It's great to know you're writing for an actual –audience-. Please tell me if I can improve my style ( in a way that is possible for me to do). _

_School has been keeping me busy and it will keep me busy. I've gotten several reactions of people who have the same problem and yeah well… it's a hell. _

_This chapter will be the preparation for the first major undertaking, but mostly just some stuff I felt like writing. Maybe a bit out of context, so see it as a little Easter egg or whatever. Sadly it'll most likely end up with being just as –long- as the others._

_I'm also getting some messages that I should add more Kohta and Saya moments. And yes, I agree with them. ( Once again, I wont say your names due to privacy reasons. Pm me if you don't mind. So I can make a small… I don't know, credits thingy?) I also think that it can add a lot, and is a nice change of pace. Seeing that their erm… -relationship- is a bit more based of comic references and denied love. Whilst the whole Saeko, Rei, Takashi thing is a lot more serious and moody. But that's just my opinion. No offence meant at all. _

_So thanks for reading, I'm pleased to amuse you all. The honour is all mine. _

**Act 12:**

"Whu… what? Where am I...? " Takashi complained as the morning sun fell over his eye lids. "Oh yeah… now I remember. Great.." He threw the blanket of his body, stretched and yawned. His body was stiff and the cold morning air crawled over his spine. "Yep… yep I'm awake all right, brrr." Quickly dressing up he pulled his red shirt over his torso, followed by his black school Colbert. Rubbing his eyes he looked around to see what everyone was up to. He could hear their voices, al least some of them, so he knew that they were doing something.

Some pigeons had suddenly gotten the urge to sing their usual morning song, and that was actually something which amused Takashi. It reminded him of before… it reminded him of peace. When his eyes had gotten used to the light he saw that Rei was still sleeping next to him. She laid on her belly and had her lips curled whilst snoozing softly. It made him smile, it made him think. "So innocent when asleep…" As soon as he heard some laughing voices his attention for Rei vanished. His head turned towards the source and he saw Saeko, Kohta and Saya doing what appeared to be,.. training.

Kohta lay face down on the floor, much to the amusement of the two girls. Before Takashi would join them he tried to see what Alice and Shizuka were doing, and he was pleased to see that they as well, were still in dream land. As he stood up he heard Rei grumble something but she still had her eyes closed. After he gave her one more vague smile he walked towards the trio whom all seemed well awake. He looked at the huge clock which was hanging on the ceiling, and due to it being mechanic it still worked. "Sigh… only eight in the morning. I should be sleeping now… oh wait, no I should be going to school now hehe… he."

"Jees, get on your feet already you good for nothing!" Saya laughed.

"Auch auch auch… my head."

"You brought this on your own! You wanted to do this."

"Yeah but… I didn't expect to be the dummy." The knocked down guy crawled back on his feet and saw their leader walking towards them whilst yawning. It made him feel tired himself as he felt his cheek muscles tense as well. "Yo, Takashi. Good morning."

"Good morning to you as well Kohta. Saeko-san, Saya-san. Good morning." He spoke as he bowed.

"Morning. Takashi." Saya replied shortly.

Saeko merely smiled and gave him a little bow as well. Both of their cheeks had turned a tad red already but they were able to cough it away and returned to the real world again.

"Soo.. what are you doing here?" Takashi asked as he looked surprised at the fact that they were all wearing training clothes.

"What do you think we're doing? We're training." Saya remarked.

"Training? For what?" As soon as he had released these words he noticed himself being penetrated by six evil pupils. "Wait… wowa… sorry sorry!" He laughed as he scratched the back of his head. He was joined by Kohta, whom was the first to give him an answer.

"Training to survive. I figured… I mean… Me and Saya-san figured that we should all have at least basic knowledge of martial arts if we are to survive for a longer period without support." He looked at Saya whilst he said this and was pleased to see that she gave him a nod and a smile.

"Credit where credit belongs. It was mostly the idea of this useless bag here." The genius replied.

"Hehe… Well… so then we figured. Who'd be a better trainer than our very own Busujima-san. Or should I say sensei now.."

"Saeko-san will do, Kohta-kun." Saeko spoke monotone.

"Thank you." The boy responded. "Would you like to join us Takashi?"

"I don't think I have the time to do so. Me and Rei are going to see if our parents are still alive. And I want to do that as soon as possible.." He felt a sudden wave of sadness taking hold of his heart, only just now realizing how much he had forgotten about his parents. What were the last words he had said to them? Did he hug them?...

"Takashi. There is plenty of time. I've analyzed them the past few days, and I think I've noticed a decrease of activity amongst their ranks when the sun is at its highest. "

Immediately after Saya had spoken these words she was bombarded with questions. Well not literally, but if she hadn't continued talking the bombardment would be there. "I'm not quite sure yet. But they seem to react to heat, we knew that much already. So… it'd only be logical that when the sun is at it's highest their senses will be worse, for they should be … distracted… by the sun. Don't you agree?"

Both of the boys had their jaws opened widely, and the indigo haired girl had closed her eyes and smiled. "Yes, Saya-san. That's… that's…. you're totally right!" Kohta yelled out.

"Yeah haha, that's awesome. But do you know if it's true?" Takashi spoke.

"I'm not quite sure yet, but it sure seemed that way… At any rate, I won't allow you to leave this place before one o' clock. '

"Y… yeah I get your point. So… About that training?" Takashi said whilst laughing at Saeko. She didn't see him staring but he didn't mind.

"So, will you join us Takashi?" Kohta once again asked.

"But I… just woke up actually."

"Bah come on! It'll do you good!"

"Bwoh… but I'm hungry as well.."

"We'll have breakfast later. Come on you lazy leader." Saya finally spoke and persuaded him.

"But…"

"No buts! Come on."

"Will this even be useful? I mean… we've done pretty good so far."

"And we had plenty of close calls. I can never hurt to get better at defending ourselves." Kohta spoke again.

"I suppose. Well… let's get on with it then. Should we wake the others?"

"Nah, they'll wake up in due time. Besides, Rei has plenty of martial prowess already and I doubt Miss Shizuka and little Alice will join us." Saya said.

With that said it was settled, yet it surprised Takashi that all this time Saeko, whom was their –trainer-, had barely spoken. _Does she even want this? I suppose she does… She dares to say no doesn't she?_

"Right, let me get some clothes from that… shop, and I'll be joining you." He yawned and walked towards the now shoddy Nike outlet. Before he had even reached the store he heard them beginning without him. He puffed and laughed a bit to himself. "Yea… maybe I do need some relaxation."

After a few minutes of changing he had rejoined the group and commenced their survival training. However, instead of teaching them techniques like he expected her to do, she taught them how to fight, For real. After they had been taught three basic stances, One for offence, one for defence and one for moving she told her plan with a grin.

"All of you wanted to learn how to fight didn't you?" The three of them blinked and gave each other a confused look. Did that really need confirmation?

"Y-yeah. Why?" Takashi asked.

"Then we will fight. I've taught you the stances, and the basic punches and kicks you should still remember from the P.E. classes. Now one of you comes forth, spars with me and until you tap the other persons' hand the other's can't interfere. Understood?"

The three other's nodded and frowned. They hadn't expected this seriousness, but now they were faced with it they realized they should have seen it coming. After all, Saeko was very serious when it came down to martial arts.

"Yeah." The three of them spoke. "So it's… three against one?" Saya then added with a smile. Her brain was already working on strategies on how to win this sparring match.

"Basically yes. When you tap the ground three times you give up. First … -team- to quit the field loses. First one to leave the circle loses as well…" Takashi only just now noticed the five peons that formed the circle Saeko mentioned. "… right, so… prepare yourselves. I'll give you five minutes to get over the basics again, form some plans and mentally prepare. Remember, it's both your body and your spirit that do the fighting."

Saeko walked away and sat down next to the nearby fountain. The time they were given they'd better use to its fullest.

"Soo…. Any plans Saya-san?" Kohta asked.

"I'm thinking."

"Takashi?"

"Well… it's just a matter of attrition. Make her wear herself out, then strike and tag." _Oh boy… we're never going to win this. Why did I agree?_

"Yeah but… she looked so serious. We'd better not screw around." Kohta spoke with both fear and admiration.

"I've got it!" Saya suddenly yelled out. "Come here, she can't hear." The three of them formed a circle, and after a couple of minutes they separated and nodded. After a few more stretches and repeats of the basics they were all set. Saeko walked back and confirmed the rules.

Takashi had, up until now, completely forgotten the fact that she had just gotten her bandages removed. But he figured that she'd knew what was best. He also just now saw that she wasn't wearing any real training clothes. In fact, she was wearing the outfit she had been wearing when they had left the Takagi manor. A black skirt, white school uniform, black leggings and her well formed boots. And to top it all off, she saw the gloves she was wearing. They weren't boxing gloves… more like some puffed up fitness gloves. Anyways, they'd at least soften up her hits a bit. He also wondered why they hadn't gotten any of those, but he realized soon enough, that she'd most likely not get hit anyways.

Saeko took her place in the centre and smiled at all three of them. "No holding back okay?"

"What? It's just a sparring match isn't it?"

"Yes, but if you want to learn how to survive using your martial skills, you'll need to train with real pain and danger evolved. Are you up for that? Simply throwing punches in the air is not going to help us."

The three pupils looked at each other and nodded. Some drips of sweat were running over their heads as the atmosphere suddenly got a whole lot more tense.

"Haha come on. Nobody is going to get hurt." Saeko laughed just to make them feel better. "Now clear your mind and concentrate on this match. Work together, remember the basics and stay focussed." She continued.

Saeko stood in the middle and took her battle stance. Instead of the more difficult ones she picked the defence stance she had taught the three of them . "Al right, let's go."

In the first three seconds nobody did something. They had their plan laid out for them but knowing all to well that pain was inevitable all three of them hesitated.

_I know I have to go in first but…_ Takashi knew all too well how much that girl liked fighting. Of course he knew she wouldn't seriously injure him, but he was scared nevertheless. Fighting –them- was different. Sparring with Saeko was… blasphemy. He knew that she wanted him to go all out, but he couldn't get himself to hit her. Even though the chances of that happening were small, the chance was still there. And it resented him. Yet… he'd rather make her proud of him, than to upset her by not giving it his best. _Right, here I go!_

"Raaaaaaagh!" He ran towards the girl and immediately forgot his stance. As he threw his right fist at her stomach he already noticed his error. Instead of dodging to the side or back, the girl jumped into the punch. Making him miss her head by a mere inch and leaving him completely defenceless. The latter he noticed all to well when he felt a sudden gulf of pain in his stomach area. Before he could even clench his tummy he had already received a backhand to the face and stumbled backwards until he fell on his behind. Rubbing his face he looked up at the shadow which covered him. There she stood, proud and strong as always. Grinning, but not with her casual killer instinct. No, in fact she looked happy.

"Get up, you're not done are you?" Saeko spoke softly and on a gentle tone.

"Aiaiai… Like hell I am!" He got on his feet and threw another punch directed towards her face. It missed. He punched again, and missed again. And this kept happening again, again, again and again. It was not that he was slow, it was the simple fact that she was fast. Takashi once again fell to the ground when one of his punches completely went over her head as she ducked and kicked him off his feet with a spinning attack. This time he fell harder, but it was nothing too bad. It was obvious for him that she wasn't trying her best, Takashi only wished that that counted for him as well.

Yet as he fell he tagged Kohta's hand and the boy immediately jumped over him and began his flurry of attacks. Hirano however, dedicated as he was, remember his stance. Straight punch after straight punch. He even forced Saeko to use her hand to block one of his attacks but that was as far as he got. He found himself with a foot planted firmly on his shoulder which forced him on his knees, and immediately after that he was forced on his face by yet another foot straight in his stomach. The air was kicked out of him, and out of reflex and fear he tapped the floor three times.

"*gasp* *gasp* I give up! I give up… hehehe." As he looked up he saw a pale hand in front of his face.

"Well done Kohta-kun.." Saeko smiled. "..You did very well." The glassed guy smiled and blushed a little before he accepted her hand and slowly walked out of the ring.

"Now, only one left." Saeko grinned whilst staring at Saya.

"No no, Takashi is still i… never mind." Both of the girls looked at their leader who had, whilst tagging out, stumbled out of the ring. He looked back at them and desperately searched for some excuse only to end up tapping himself on the head and laughing.

Saya staggered, Saeko stepped forwards. She whispered something to herself, but non of them would know what.

Nobody looked, and the two boys instead closed their eyes. Because after about fifteen seconds later, also their genius tactical brain had fallen on her hindquarters out of the ring.

"Aiaiai…. My buttocks." She complained whilst rubbing it.

"her buttocks?" Both boys whispered to each other but were quickly stopped by Saya's evil eyes.

"Well, time for round two?" Saeko added. The three of them nodded and stood up. Takashi walked towards Saeko, pretending as if he was going to take his position. Only to sneak some words in her ear when he passed. Nobody except Saeko heard them, but everyone could see that she was staring at the ground whilst blushing quite intensely. "*coughs* Right, uhm… No tagging this time. All three at the same time." Whilst she said this she looked at Takashi's smiling face. Her heart acted as if it was on fire and she felt warm. She loved him, more than anything. And that couldn't be said enough times. But she couldn't hold back just because of that.

She allowed him a smile before taking battle stance again. This time she used another one, but before anyone could counteract her stance the voice of the small girl reached their ears.

"Goooo Saeko!" Alice screamed. She immediately saw that pink head turning towards her and placed her hands before her mouth. The three others all laughed or chuckled, and the little girl softened up. They also now noticed Rei and Shizuka standing on the side lines. Shizuka was staring at the ceiling, and Rei looked both happy and annoyed at the same time. She wanted to join them of course, but she didn't want her pride to be shattered if she would go up against Busujima. Sadly, as soon as they saw her they asked her to join. Well, Takashi, Saya and Kohta did. Much to the displease of both Saeko and Rei herself. That's most likely also the reason why she said no.

"No thanks, I'll prepare breakfast this time. And… I also want to get ready to visit mine and your parents today."

"Well about that.." Takashi stuttered. Thankfully Saya interrupted him and explained her research in the fullest of detail. Even more so than she had done before. Rei gave in as well, and they all agreed to wait until 13:00.

After one more round dinner was ready, and this –training- session had stopped. All of them got dressed, cleaned up and ate their food. Not much was said. In fact, only two little conversations were to be had and that wasn't much. Not because the mood was bad, but simply because they all knew what their mission was this day. They were going to enter the lion's den, and all of them knew that they might not get back alive.

The hours passed slowly, and to make it all worse, the emergency generator had served it's purpose and fainted. Not that it had been of much use, but the automated doors and faint lights from the emergency exits had died now as well.

"That's just great… well. One awesome way to raise morale Mother Karma has." Kohta complained. There was no repairing the lights because of the EMP and everyone of them knew it. Even Shizuka got into a bad mood because of it. Not that the light had helped them out, but it was the fact that they were thrown back into reality again.

When the hour of departure drew closer it was Takashi who brought up the subject.

"Everybody gather round. It's time we prepared. And by we I mean… me and Rei."

"Don't give us this rubbish again Takashi. We already told you that we're coming with you guys." Saya blatantly threw back at him. When the girl saw her leader sigh she almost got mad, but was stopped because of Hirano's interference.

"Takashi, I see your point. But you shouldn't think it's more safe when you go with less people. There's a big chance of them attacking this mall, and then the remainders are in trouble. And what are you and Rei-san going to do when you get ambushed? Face it, you two can't go alone."

Nobody responded for a moment as they let his words cross their minds.

"Kohta-kun is right. You two can't go alone." Saeko eventually added. Of course she knew that it was a whole lot easier for her to persuade him, but that wasn't her intention at all. She was merely stating the fact that what Kohta said, was right.

And her words hit the spot, for everyone noticed that Takashi stumbled over his own words when he tried to respond. That's why it was Rei whom talked next.

"We're going to visit Takashi's and my parents. Once we reach them we'll bolster our numbers and…"

"You don't know if they're alive… Miyamoto." These words struck both Takashi and Rei.

"Shut it! Of course they are alive." The red head threw back. Followed by Takashi's: "Rei is right Saeko-san. I'm sure they're alive."

"Both of you are wrong. You have to prepare for the worst, something which you two have obviously forgotten." The indigo head added to that.

"We haven't! There's nothing wrong with hoping for the best." He spoke annoyed.

"No, there's not. But you two are not going in alone."

"As far as I recall Takashi is our leader senpai." But instead of Saeko replying, Saya talked.

"Saeko-san is right though. You won't be only putting yourselves in danger, but this entire group. We have to think about this.."

"… Of course we do but…" Rei was interrupted by Takashi.

"No. Only two of us will go. We'll visit Your house first Rei. Me and Saeko-san will do that. If there's enough time left, you and… _ I don't think I have a choice_… Saeko-san will go to my house. I've thought about it, and I think it's best if the daughter or son isn't around when… you know… when it turns out to be a drama. The rest will try to reinforce this mall even more, for I think it's best if we make this out headquarters for the comings weeks. Is everybody fine with that? "

Everyone doubted about it, but in the end they agreed. It was… valid enough, even though it was basically exactly the thing against which they had protested.

They departed their ways and set themselves to preparing for the day to come. Shizuka and Alice went to the top floor to find some useful items. It didn't really matter what, just as long as they were useful.

Kohta gathered his repair tools and began to craft some very… interesting… mechanics. They weren't really traps, but more like barriers. Which could be lifted at will.

Meanwhile Saya, Saeko, Rei and Takashi stayed together. Still talking about the upcoming mission.

"And why can't I go and visit my own house? Isn't that only logical?" The girl yelled offended. And she was right, why couldn't she? Nobody really had the answer and they tried to calm her down by using the arguments of safety and sanity. Of course that didn't work and they all knew that.

"Rei, we've descided on this. We can either accept this way to tackle this problem, or keep coming up with new things and never get this over with. I want to see my parents just as much as you do, but I also know that I… I… can't stand to see them as one of them. Saeko and Saya-san were right. We don't know if they're alive, and…"

"No no, I don't want to hear that. I simply don't. If you won't let me come with you I'll just f…"

"NO, you will not. You'll stay here and do as you were told." Takashi suddenly spoke with a raised voice.

The red head looked at the boy and all she saw were saddened eyes. That was most likely also the reason why she calmed down and gave in. "Fine… but.."

"But?"

"You should take Kohta-kun with you instead of…" She already saw both Saeko and Takashi give her the evil eye but for one time it really wasn't her intention to win back Takashi or anything. So she continued: "… you and Senpai-san are both close combat orientated. Wouldn't it be smart to have some fire support backing you up?" This was actually a valid point, but it was Saya who said no.

"The city blocks are small, and with a lot of turns and walls out there. You, as a inhabitant, should know that Rei. Kohta's gun won't do much good unless he get's on top of a house. Besides… Saeko's katana will be of much more use when they search your parents, or have to get out of soon as possible."

No real progress was made in their discussion and within no time it was 13:00. The time to move out had come, thus the time to stare into death's face once more was also there. It was the time to safe their beloved ones. And no matter what would happen, they would do anything within their power to succeed. Takashi loaded his gun, brought extra bullets with him and also fetched himself a big combat knife from the nearby survivalist shop. Kohta gave him the pistol they had scavenged from the police corps earlier and had, with a few modifications, upgraded it to a real killer gun. At least, that was the plan. In fact it was just the same pistol, only with a visor and an easier reload system. Nevertheless, Takashi welcomed the gun and already walked to the humvee and climbed on top of it. He waited there, for the girl that was to join him. For the girl that was to protect him, and whom he was going to protect.

After about five minutes, Saeko as well came walking towards the vehicle. Nothing had really changed about her, besides her hair being tightened into a tail once again and she had gotten herself a new pair of boots. They basically looked the same but were a lot finer and most likely a tad lighter. Her katana was sheeted and her uniform buttoned. Her short black skirt adapted beautifully around her pale legs and every step she took was marked by the soft sound of metal rubbing against the sheet of the blade. It wasn't loud, but it was becoming her trademark sound if you'd ask Takashi. He saw her staring towards the ground and wondered if something was up. Of course something was –up-, but he just wanted to know what. When she got closer he figured she was blushing, but he couldn't lay his finger on top of it.

_What did she and Saya talk about in that shop?_ Nevertheless, she had the same cold eyes as always and for a change she didn't allow him yet another sight of her enrapturing smile. When Saeko as well had climbed the vehicle both of them stared down, then at each other. A stare, a nod and a first step.

They were going to face the dead once again.

_You guys and girls know what I just realized? I COMPLETELY forgot about their little pet dog. Zeke. Please forgive me for such a big mistake x)._

_Would it bother you guys if I'd add the dog from hereby on? Not that it's a big role or anything, but it does make the story complete._

_Also, this chapter barely adds a thing to the story. But I just felt like writing something like this. Thanks for the patience, and thanks for reading._

_Yours sincerely,_

_Yamucha-san._


	13. Wouldn't lose grip to life

_Right, my word has been acting weird and I tried to fix it. But… I kinda failed. AT any rate, I'll add the dog Zeke since most people seem to agree with that. Of course though, this chapter won't have much of that, since it'll be the journey to the house, and maybe back. Who knows._

_I'm doubting whether I should let all the parents live, die, or a mix. Hmm…_

_I do not own highschool of the dead. All rights belong to its original author._

_( Word now uses different signs and marks. I'll try to keep it as normal as possible, but forgive me if there are some strange things.) _

**Act 13: Wouldn't lose grip to life.**

"Right, let's go!" He jumped of the humvee and over the barricade. He knew that she would follow him so he didn't look back. Sprinting towards the end of the parking lot he tried to avoid any unnecessary confrontations. Of course, sometimes he had to strike but for most of the time he managed to stay safe. Behind him however, he heard the constant sound of bodies being dismembered or simply pierced. Still, he couldn't look back. It'd be dangerous. When he had sprinted for one full minute he felt his breathing become heavier.

"*pants* *pants* Just a little further Takashi, come on!" he yelled to himself, only wasting precious energy. His every step became heavier and as soon as he had reached the last lamppost he clenched it heavily and closed his eyes for a while. The soft and graceful steps that had been following him stopped close to him and he felt her hand on his shoulder.

"Takashi-kun, you can't rest yet. Let us go on."

"Yeah.. yeah let's do that." He smiled whilst panting heavily. They didn't have to sprint anymore though, and after a short ten- minutes jog they could simply walk again. When they arrived at a long and narrow street they stopped.

"Saeko-san, this way."

"We shouldn't bluntly walk through this. Is there another way?"

Takashi got her point, but he just wanted to get this over with. Even whilst he was alone with Saeko now, this wasn't exactly the way he wanted to be with her. In fact… anything but this.

"There is… but we'd have to walk around this block and it'll rob us of a lot of precious time." He spoke softly. They had to keep their voices down all the time, or they'd risk alerting them.

"Understood. But I'll take point. Follow me and see if any of them come from behind."

"Right, got it."

They started to walk thought this back alley, but they made progress carefully, and tried to muzzle their sounds as much as possible. Saeko was light on her feet, and of course barely produced any sound. The same couldn't be said about Takashi but everything seemed to be going all right. Takashi had to actually try to keep up with her walking pace and occasionally had to jog a little. He had stopped checking their backs for they had traversed deep enough to be out of danger when they would get trapped.

Mislead by their temperate safety he tried to start a conversation. Only to get shhh'd big time by an annoyed voice.

"Shhh, be quiet."

"Uh.. sorry.' He spoke displeased. He had just wanted to throw this heavy atmosphere off them. Yet as they walked on she suddenly stopped and turned towards him. They had traversed about fifty meters, and had fifty more to go.

"Takashi. This looks like a safe haven for a while. We need to discuss something." She spoke firmly.

"Hmm, I thought we had to be quiet?"

"Yes but listen up. Does Rei have any brothers and, or sisters?"

"No, she doesn't why?"

"Look, we don't know if we'll find anyone who's still.. sane. Are you prepared to… shoot her parents when needed?"

Takashi's eyes twitched a little but eventually he nodded. "Yeah, yeah I am. Are you still doubting that? That's why I chose you to come with me and not Rei."

"And that's also why you chose me to go with Rei afterwards?" She spoke coldly.

"Yes… about that. Look… I'm sorry I did that. But it's the only way, and also the safest." He looked up when he spoke these words. He felt clamp, but when he saw her eyes glance and her mouth giving off a faint smile he knew that it was okay.

"Don't worry Takashi. It's all right. Now, where do we have to go from here?"

"Thanks. First left, then right. We're almost there."

Without saying another word they moved on. They turned left right after the alley and were pleased to see yet another abandoned street. A few burning wrecks had most likely attracted a few of them for some burned bodies were laying around. But it was nothing special. Takashi alerted Saeko when they could see the chimney of Rei's house and they immediately sped up their pace.

The street in which Rei's and Takashi's house was located was almost empty. Almost. They both smiled at first, but when they saw two of them standing aimlessly they shivered. Saeko looked in his eyes with a gaze that could kill and walked towards them.

Dispatching them wasn't all too hard, but doing it quietly was different. She had to make sure they didn't fall dead on the bins and with that start an orchestra of troubles.

Meanwhile Takashi kept on the right and went on ahead towards Rei's house. The front gate was open, but the main door was closed. That was a vaguely good sign, but a troublesome one as well. He tried to open it but found that the door was locked firmly.

"Shit shit shit." He whispered whilst pulling the door. He turned around and waited for Saeko to arrive. It didn't take long for her to do so and when they had finally reached the place they had to be they put down their guard for a bit.

"We haven't been followed have we?" he spoke.

"No, I don't think so. Is anyone at home?"

"The door is locked. I don't know…" He looked at the girls feet and started thinking about their actions. Even whilst they had arrived he felt sad. What was he to say to Rei if her parents had become one of them, or weren't here? The latter would be the easiest of course… but he feared it. He feared for her stability. Having the hopes of your loved ones still being alive is a great mental boost. And losing that hope… might mean your downfall.

Takashi didn't realize that Saeko was observing him. She knew perfectly well what he was thinking, and she thought exactly the same. Her relationship with Rei wasn't good. And if her parents would have succumbed whilst she went to search for them. That would be… disastrous.

"Takashi, let's go in. We can climb up via there, and enter the house through the window." She pointed up and indeed, there was an opened window. Did someone use that to enter? Escape? Or simply for some fresh air?

"Right. Good plan but… climbing up is quite… d'erm… hard?"

"It's not. Follow my example." Without waiting for his response she walked off and started climbing up. Placing her foot on the veranda, then jumped up and grabbing the opened window. Pulling herself up, and entering. Takashi held his breath, as he was sure she was going to fall. How the hell was he going to imitate that? Anyways, he placed his foot on the veranda as well, and started to try.

When she entered the room she was engulfed by lifelessness. Everything was as it used to be… yet it felt cold and empty. The bed was cleaned, and clothes for the next day had been carefully laid on a desk. It was a small room, but richly decorated. Plushies, posters and vaguely enough two televisions. One small one, and a larger and more luxurious one. Texts were written on the walls and the door was painted black, whilst the rest of the room had white walls.

"Miyamoto's room?" She asked herself. And most likely was right as well. Once she made sure the door was shut tightly she leaned out of the window and tried to help Takashi up. However… lacking her agility, he simply couldn't make that jump. And trying to grab his hand would cause her to plumb down.

"Dammit, Saeko I can't reach. I'll climb up the garage and then enter via her parent's room. It should be the first door to your left." He spoke quite loud. Neither of them really realizing the fact, that somewhere in those dark alleys, danger was slowly shuffling towards them.

"Right, I'll open the window there. Hurry." She ran towards the door , opened it, turned left and stormed into the big room which was indeed, Rei's parents' room. Immediately opening the window she could already hear his struggle against gravity. She chuckled a bit before scanning this room and watching the hallway via her current position.

This house scared her, Something was off, but it was impossible for her to figure out what. Every shadow felt unnatural… _Come on Saeko… keep your wits about you._

This room was simple. Real simple. A big bed in the middle and a clock on the wall in front of it. Two desks on each side with some notes, clocks , pencils and other stuff. The hallway was dark, and only the light that came from this room, and Rei's room lit it. Why was she so scared anyways?

Saeko had never liked walking into other people's houses, but it had never been like this. This was plain… vague. It even went far enough that she would think she was seeing things move. Because of this the girl didn't realize Takashi climbing through the window and joining her again. When he stood next to her she almost drew her blade in an instant.

"Wowa it's me, it's me!" He yelled in shock whilst protecting his head with his hands.

"Ugh… Takashi… Sorry!" The girl yelled and bowed.

"Is something wrong?"

"N-no…" Was stuttered out. "Just be careful… something is off."

He looked at the girl, whom seemed to have her eyes fixed on the hallway. _Something was off she said?What…_

"Saeko, what do you mean?"

"I don't know. I just don't feel right in here."

"No worries. We can handle a few of them." He spoke with both pride and fear. He knew all too well that if there were going to be some of them in this place… they were going to be Rei's parents. "Come, let's go. I'll lead the way, I know my way around."

"Right.. I got your back."

Saeko unsheathed her blade and followed Takashi. She made sure there was a gap of at least two meters, so that she could swing her blade freely if anything bad was to occur. "Miss Myamoto? Mister Miyamoto?" He yelled. Knowing all too well that is was risky, but it would be the fastest way of finding them. They went down the stairway and were shocked to see a completely darkened house. Every window had been shut tightly and the rolling shutters were down. Not a single sound came from the darkness, but Takashi felt that he had to check it and make sure they weren't there.

"Saeko, let's check upstairs for some flashlights or whatever. "

"Right. You stay here and guard the staircase.. I don't want any surprises." She spoke on a sad tone. Before he could reply Saeko had turned around and went to check the two remaining rooms.

She heard him say –be careful- but couldn't find herself to respond. The two doors from which they came were her only light source and she would have to fully utilize those.

Opening the first door, directly in front of Rei's room she found herself in the bathroom. At least… the white tiles made her believe it was.

"Why… so… dark. Takashi-kun, … could you help me please?" It was a question which she didn't like to ask but there was simply no doing this.

"Right, of course."

Both of them entered the dark room and tried to look for anything which could help them. Of course, they knew that searching for light in the bathroom would most likely be useless. Yet it'd be a whole lot better than to try and traverse the darkness without light. Sadly… the latter was the thing they did. After checking the storage room and an empty one they were sure that they had no choice in the matter.

"Saeko-san.. I'll go first and open the shutters. Opening one should give us enough vision."

"Understood."

Takashi marched down. He tried to remember the house. It had been quite a familiar place for him over the years but in this darkness it was… different. Almost stumbling over a small glass table he managed to reach the first shutter. Opening it wasn't that hard and the sun slowly entered the forsaken room. But the sight it gave them wasn't the thing they had hoped for. Emptiness… dreaded emptiness.

"Miss, mister Miyamoto?" … no one or nothing responded. Saeko came walking down and looked around the house. Even with this light… there simply was something here with them.

"KIRIKO? TADASHI?" Takashi went on yelling. Getting more fervent with each scream. They couldn't be dead… they had to be here. Most likely Rei's father was off to work and her mother? He didn't know… As far as Takashi was informed miss Miyamoto was unemployed now that she had quite the force and made paintings for a living. Her atelier was empty, the living room, kitchen and basement were as well.

When he walked into the kitchen one last time he simply sat down on a chair and sighed. Staring at the wood of the table and thinking. What was he to say to her? How could he face her? Still no answers reached his imagination. _Rei… I'm sorry but… No that won't work. Rei, your parents weren't there… no that's too easy. Rei We… come on Takashi… come on._

He was shaken awake by his samurai's voice. "Takashi. She'll understand. Miyamoto isn't without reason."

He looked up in her eyes and wanted to say something but didn't get the chance.

"She has most likely already prepared herself for the worst. Het father is an officer, he wouldn't be here anyways. And according to these room, her mother is an artist. She must've already gone and went to either search for her husband, or for her daughter. We have tried our best… but we can't linger in this place."

She spoke the truth. Takashi knew that, but he couldn't just leave could he. He was their leader… he was Rei's last hope at this point. However, Saeko was right. He had feared for her well being before but the blue haired girl was right… She must've prepared herself already.

"You're…. Let's just… let's just get some of her belongings and go back." He stood up without listening to her response but it was obvious that there wouldn't be a disagreement about this.

"They grabbed her music player, family pictures, the art book of her mother and some other stuff which would remind her of home. They didn't know if it was the stuff Rei would want, but it was better than nothing.

"Saeko. We're done here. Let's go."

"Gladly.."

They walked to the front foor, but as soon as they opened the door to the hallway they heard a loud scream coming from underneath them . Not directly… but it sounded like it.

"What the heck was that?" Takashi yelled in shock.

"T'was a woman's voice.. no.. more like a…" She looked down and saw the carpet being off. The voice sounded weird… it was inhuman. "Takashi!" She grabbed his shoulder and guided his eyes towards the carpet. They both nodded and in one quick movement pulled off the once beautiful red linen. And yes… a small escape hatch was there.

Another vague yell came from it and this time it was Saeko whom staggered back a little.

"Saeko? Are you okay?" _What?... why is she so scared this entire time? No time to ask.. "_It's miss Kiriko. Come, let's open that hatch already."

"Takashi no!" But before he heard her yell he had grabbed the notch and already pulled it halfway open.

"What? What's wrong?" he didn't have to wait for an answer as an overwhelming stench reached his nose and an immensely sharp scream corrupted his ears.. He fell backwards and entered a coughing spree. In the blink of an eye the indigo girl responded by jumping on top of the hatch and denying, whatever was inside , an exit. .

"Takashi, be careful." She hinted at him to shove the nearby closet on top of it.

"Whatever that was… that can not have been.. No no. No." That event scared the shit out of him and he panted heavily whist rubbing the sweat of his front head.

Takashi struggled back on his feet and merely nodded at Saeko. "Thanks. *pants* that was… scary.' When he noticed her staring back inside the living room he worried.

"Saeko-san… what is it that scared you? I mean… THAT scared me.." He spoke whilst pointing at the hatch and still shivering at the noises that came from it. "But it's not like you to be afraid of them.. at least, not this openly."

"It isn't… I'm not afraid. I'm occupied." He saw those oceanic eyes doze of, as if they were following something. He looked towards the living room, but really couldn't see a thing.

"Saeko-san, there really isn't anything. Though I wonder.. was that Miss Kiriko in there?" He sighed when he spoke those words. He was too scared to open that hatch again, only to see a most likely mutilated body with the face of an acquaintance.

"Takashi-kun. We have done what we had to do… now let's make out way back." Saeko spoke in a hurry.

"Right, … I guess that's indeed for the best. Let's go, Saeko-san." He smiled and offered his hand to the stunning and distracted girl. "We'll be back.. in no time."

Both of them walked past the closet and prepared to hasten themselves back towards the mall and their friends.

"You ready?" He asked. When she nodded, his hand made its way to the notch. He grabbed it, turned the key which was fortunately still located in the door, and pulled it open. The squeaking sound reached their ears and the sudden beam of light temporary blinded them. When they set their first step outside again an enormous sense of relieve took the better of them. She sheeted her blade, and Takashi relaxed his muscles. Even though they hadn't found Rei's parents, at this point they were happy enough to have reached the house with relative little difficulty. They walked on the street again and there still wasn't any sign of trouble.

"Saeko-san…"Takashi whispered whilst they stuck close to the wall.

"Yes?"

"Do you really think that… you know, what you said before. That Rei will be able to deal with it?" He regretted asking this because he knew all too well how Saeko and Rei resented each other at this point. But he had to know. He saw her hesitating to answer, but after a while she confirmed his question.

"Yes, I really think that. Of course… she'll not take it lightly. But… … wait shhh."

Takashi suddenly saw her white palm in front of his face as she ordered him to stop. He didn't have to ask what was wrong, for he heard those voices all too well.

"Quick, hurry up. They can't be far from here!"

"But Tad… SHIT."

They heard gun shots now. These dreaded noises came from that very back alley which they had traversed earlier.

"Shit, what do we do?" Takashi asked instinctively even though he was the leader. He grabbed her hand and pulled her back behind a stone wall of an unknown house. As they heard the gun shots coming closer they noticed that there were two people running away, from them most likely. But one voice, he recognized all too well.

"Wait is that…" He peeked around the corner and when two men came running from the alley his world seem to be complete. Two men in an officer's uniform came running directly towards him.

"That is… that is… Mister Tadashi." Without realizing what he was about to cause he jumped from the wall and waved at the two cops. "MISTER MIYAMOTO! OI!"

"Takashi, shhhhh." Saeko immediately said. Obviously annoyed she followed him and she as well, was relieved to see two officers running towards them.

"Sakaki, keep up. WE only need to f…" The taller officer said.

"MISTER MYAMOTO! OI!"

"What the he… wait is that? Sweet heavens it is. Yoo, Takashi!"

When the two men had reached the young ones they panted heavily before speaking.

"T-Tadashi-san… are you all right?"

"Haha yeah, don't worry about me." He placed his hand on the boys' shoulder and grinned. "God it's good to see you. Come, we'll talk later. My little girl is worried sick about you.'

"Wha… what do yo.." Takashi was interrupted by the officer when he introduced himself to the blade wielding girl.

"I'm Miyamoto Tadashi. Pleased to meet you." He offered her his hand but all she did was bow.

"The honour is all mine. Busujima Saeko is the name."

"No need to be so formal. This here is.."

"Ajibana Sakaki is the name.." He quickly turned to check behind him and continued. "There's no time to be nice to each other. Those undead freaks are coming and we need to get back A.S.A.P. Tadashi, come let's go." He already walked straight past the children and his comrade.

"Haha, he's not a bad man. We're all just… on our edge." He spoke with a sudden sombre tone. "He's right though. Let's go. There's a whole bunch of them coming our way."

Tadashi followed his fellow officer and gave the two children a last nod. "Stay close to us, and we'll get back to the mall in no time."

Takashi looked at the two cops, then at Saeko. She eyed displeased. What was bothering her? When they started following the cops she seemed to walk incredibly close to Takashi out of the sudden. Not that he minded, quite the contrary even, but it was something which caught his attention for a while. It was also now that she whispered rather loudly.

"We're walking into a death trap. Those gun shots and your… yelling, must have alerted them. We can not blindly follow them."

"Uh.. you're right. But we're smarter than that, we're with officers now. We will be fine." He tried to –reassure- her even though it wasn't needed. He also knew perfectly well that what he had just said was utter rubbish. How many people thought they were smart enough to survive? How many people had placed their complete trust in the hands of the police and still perished? How many… he didn't want to think about it anymore and instead spoke to the cops.

"What Saeko-san said is right. We have alerted them, and taking this route will surely cause our demise."

"What do you mean?" Tadashi spoke, ignoring the grumbling from the somewhat grumpy officer.

"Your gun shots and my.. no never mind. The firing of your pistols alerted the horde. No doubt about that. We have to…" Takashi spoke but was cut off by the smaller man.

"Kid, with all due respect. We need to hurry and walk around this block back to the mall. That alley is full of them and if we don't hurry we'll b…"

It was too late. When they looked forwards they saw the first of them coming from the houses and around the corners. And as soon as they looked back towards the once safe alleyway, they noticed that that place was now spouting hordes of them. Luckily all four of these people were experienced and knew perfectly well that they had to stay calm. Saeko drew her katana from its sheet, Takashi checked his gun and so did the two officers. When the two adults saw the younger souls drawing their weapons they were confused and worried. But this was not the place, nor the time to whine about that. In this little time alone, at least fifteen more of them had gathered on the opposite side of the alley and this left them completely surrounded. Houses to their right and left, and in front of them at least twenty of them, and behind them an unknown number.

"Shit shit SHIT. Right.. uhm…. You kids seem to know how to fight. But leave this to us. We'll take front and.."

"No. We cannot go head to head with them. WE must…"

Both of the officers were interrupted not by Takashi, but by Saeko.

" Just act already, we can't waste any more time. Running through the houses is even more dangerous than fighting the smaller horde of them." She pointed towards the group of twenty with a stern look in her eyes. Both of the men were a bit offended because of such a young girl taking the lead. Takashi however, grinned a bit and even whilst it was just one sentence, he really liked the way she remained herself even through all of this. Because nobody protested she took the intiative and slowly walked towards the smaller group.

"How long is it back to the mall via this way? Takashi-kun?"

"UHm… about thirty minutes, a bit less."

"Right. Miyamoto-san, Ajibana-san. Please, do not shoot until they come at you. They know that we're here but if we are very careful we might be able to sneak past them. Understood? …

The two officers looked at each other. One raised his shoulders and sighed and the other one simply closed his eyes.

"Understood?' She once again asked. Already knowing that this wouldn't go without results as she would most likely have to apologize deeply once they were back. But to do so, they had to get back first. And that was something which was going to prove very difficult.

No matter what though. She and Takashi wouldn't lose their grip to life.

_That's it for this chapter. Since all my friends are out celebrating carnival the next chapter will most likely be on within three days. _

_Curses on my writing style, for actually wanted this chapter to contain the way to, and the way back. Ah well… _

_I also don't know if I did the right thing with Rei's father and the officer. But when I was walking with my dogs this idea just struck me. And since I was doubting about what to do, I chose to do this. _

_So uhm yeah, that entire house scene was useless? Well, yeah. But I wanted it to be useless just to get that atmosphere of… well… hopelessness. _

_I don't know what it is with this chapter though. I personally like it because I somehow am excited to writing the next chapter. ( Yeah, this one was a bit dull.) but something seemed off… in my brain whilst writing. Ah well, like I said in the intro. That was most likely just word playing tricks on me. I hope! Haha,_

_Anyways, thanks for reading and the continuous support. You know I love you all! Well… not literally… because that would be.. you know? Awkward.. right… dumdumdum. _


	14. What happened to her life?

_Right, so I feel like writing this haha!_

_Uhm… no spoiler on this chapter because whatever I say here won't come true anyways._

_I do not own highschool of the dead. All rights belong to it's original author. I do own any added characters, that were not in the show or manga. ( Ha! That is new.. kind of useless though.) _

**Act 14:**

"NO! I'm not leaving you alone! I' M NOT L...!"

"Just, GO ALREADY!"

"Takashi-kun, hurry! That girl has made up her mind we cannot linger."

"No no no.. Saeko-san. I'm staying with you."

"Ta…kashi."

"Hey, what are you two doing, get your hands off me! NOO!"

"Yes, … we understand." Mr. Miyamoto spoke, knowing all too well that this wasn't the time to argue. They had to hurry, in fact, they had to hurry quickly. About twenty meters on both sides before they would get into melee's range.

"Thank you sir." Saeko spoke. "I'll take point." Without waiting for either a yes, or a no, she walked straight past Takashi and past the two officers, but not before giving him a faint glimpse of her confident eyes, The young leader immediately followed her and was, at his turn, directly followed by the two experienced officers. Experienced? Yes. But not all too much in this situation, that was made awfully clear to the katana wielding girl.

Following the soft footsteps in front of them they tried to be as silent as possible. Of course, there were some sounds, but nothing which nature wouldn't mask.

_Sorry for acting this way Takashi-kun… but those two could mean our demise if we aren't careful. _

Meanwhile Takashi had completely other thoughts. _Just stay safe you all.. and especially you Saeko. Yet I wonder… how did they find us? Did they get to the mall? Yes… they have to have been there. Otherwise… they wouldn't know about us, and Rei and… Shhh Takashi shhh, stay focussed man._

With all of –them- walking directly towards the group, tension got, of course, tremendously high. All the way up to the point where they would start sweating and start imagining things. Nevertheless, they carried on. Nobody spoke another word as they passed the first few of them. The cops were surprised when those undead did indeed, not come at them but instead kept walking towards the point where they had been before.

Passing another five of them their mood got quite neutral once again, and with that their carelessness as well. But with luck by their sides even some rubble they stumbled upon didn't catch their attention.

_Right this is going perfectly. Just a few minutes more and… _Were Saeko's thoughts.

_Great… come one, come on, we're almost out of he… _As spoken by Takashi's brain.

_I hope you know what you're doing girl.. well, you do at that bu… _Presented to you by Tadashi.

_I don't like this… this can't possibly go well, those fuc…_ Of course thought by Sakaki.

And as they all thought it, the inevitable happened. A foot, a noise, one small scream and the action was on. When both Sakaki and Takashi bumped into three of them they had to turn left and circle around them. Only to both hit the same din at exactly the same time. Sakaki with his heavy shoos, and Takashi with the hilt of his gun. It wasn't this blunder itself that produced that death noise. It was the fact that the simultaneous hit from the foot and the hilt caused the iron basket to tumbled over and roll. And yes… that's an annoying sound, even for us humans. And in the blur of the moment the two guys were stupid enough and spouted out: "Son of a…!"

"Shhhh." The girl tried in vain, but it was… too late.

Bodies stopped, faces turned and lifeless eyes stared. And what did the four stranded souls do? Two of them prepared for melee combat but, unfortunately, the two others shot. Even though it might have been a reflex, they still shot. Sure, with the few bullets they let loose they downed about three of them and got some breathing room. But of course, they knew as well, that what they had just done caused a massive change amongst the hordes. Every single one of them came shuffling towards them. Some of them crawling, and one faster or slower than another one.

"No…"Takashi mumbled. "No no no…" He felt his shoulder being grabbed by a soft hand. For a split second he wanted to attack it but knowing all to well whom it was he turned around. He looked in her eyes and both of them nodded.

"We need to fight, now! Attack and try to struggle your way forwards." Takashi spoke. At this point it didn't matter whether they talked loud or not. Nor did they have the time to discuss this plan because for the first time today, one of them made its strike. It missed, and got punished by a crushing blow to its skull by Takashi.

In the blur of the moment non of them managed to make a real stance. They merely fought on, inch by inch, meter by meter, and corps after corps. Of course, one of them scored the most kills and made progress a LOT faster. Too fast actually, and only Takashi was able to keep up by taking her cut out path. The two officers, whilst doing well, simple didn't have enough bullets to take them out. And lacking proper melee weapons, they found themselves in quite a pickle.

"Come on come on!" Tadashi shot another one point blank in the face. He looked at his comrade, whom had actually managed to hit the weak spot on the skull with the blunt side of his pistol. _Shit, obviously out of ammo._ Not having the time to think he pulled the trigger again, again and again. But then… *click* *click*. "No… no no no. There is no time to reload! SHIT! Hey! Follow those kids!" He looked at his comrade's nodding and he tried to follow as well.

Meanwhile Takashi found himself struggling with a very well fed one of them. It wasn't the fact that it was anything smarter than the others, it was sheer body weight which made it difficult for him. "Yea-heah! And stay down you!"

Takashi kept on walking forwards, and only noticed that the two cops were falling behind when he had practically reached the end.

"Takashi, we have to… help them." Saeko spoke somewhat difficult.

"Yeah, obviously, let's go."

Going back in was easier then going out, thus progress was made rather fast. Takashi followed the girl up close, but he knew that he should at least keep some distance. Just for safety from her dancing katana. He was making sure that there would be no surprises from behind, and was doing a good job at that. Raising his gun above his head and slamming it in one's head using all of his power and bodyweight. It was strange, but even he felt some kind of excitement in this situation. It was most likely the adrenaline he figured, because he didn't want to think that he'd start to get a thrill out of this all. After all, which teenager hadn't –dreamed- of an apocalypse of this kind before. He knew he had.

It wasn't long before they reached the two adults, and seeing that that blue haired girl had basically slashed her way through the entire horde of them, getting out again was fairly easy. Sure, small groups of two, three or four of them were still blocking their way, but that wasn't anything they couldn't take care of.

Saeko planted the hilt of her blade firmly against the nose of one of them, and it fell down, never to move again.

Takashi aimed his gun, pulled the trigger and in an orchestra of splattering and gore four of them fell lifeless, and mutilated, to the ground.

Both Miyamoto and Sakaki grabbed some lead pipes from the ground and started to hold house amongst the hordes. Tadashi lift the pipe, let it fly down and followed up by poking it right through its chin, like an uppercut. His colleague, whom seemed to be a whole lot more barbaric, simply raged amongst them and tried to follow the two –kids-. Tadashi obviously had the higher rank so he would see his orders through, no matter what. And for the time being that order was : -Follow those kids.-

"Now! Run away!" Takashi suddenly yelled. A big opening had been created which allowed them to sprint past the last ones of them before they'd be surrounded again. They were already running on the last of their energy supplies, but their bodies were able to pump out one last shot of adrenaline.

Feeling their legs burn, seeing their sight go blurry and being hunted down by overwhelming odds. Even the bravest amongst mankind would feel hopeless now. Panting like madmen and moving forwards with the greatest difficulty they had managed to leave the horde behind them. Obviously it still followed them, but even whilst walking, they were faster than them… not by a long shot, but faster nevertheless. Three of them were still panting heavily, and the last one was simply puffing a bit.

"Great, well done kids. We'll take lead the lead now. Follow us, and let's unite you with your friends and beloved ones." Tadashi spoke, and was joined by Sakaki who managed to give the two kids a vague sort of proud smile.

"Tadashi-san, what do you mean? Where did you two come from?"

"Haha no time to explain now. We need to hurry. If we cross the parking lot in front of the dentist and that pharmaceutical company we can make a short dash back to the mall. It won't be long."

"But…"

"Boy, just do as he says. We'll have a better chance to survive if you'd ju…"

"Come now Saki-kun, these two kids helped us out a gre…"

'don't call me that…"

"Haha. Anyways… no time to laugh. Reload your gun and get a move on. We're not out of this yet. The lot is about three minutes away and we'll have to traverse yet another alleyway. After that we'll jog back. Understand?"

Both of the younger souls nodded. One more willingly than the other, but they nodded nonetheless. Following the men in uniform with a gap of about three meters Takashi noted how the girl wanted to speak. And he as well, had a lot to speak about. For a change, not directly to her in particular, but just some general questions.

How did they find them?

Why did he just walk past his own house?

How could he make such a stupid mistake before?

Why did h…

He was interrupted by a woman's voice, and his already tired senses felt a short shot of alertness reviving them.

"Takashi-kun… is that Rei's father?" She could've face palmed herself when she spoke these words. But all she wanted was some confirmation really.

"Yeah. Miyamoto Tadashi, has Rei talked about him with you?" _face palm Takashi…_

"No but.. no never mind. And the other man? Who is he?"

"I don't know. At least I have never met the man. But seeing that he survived… he must be good."

"I'm not doubting their skills. I'm doubting their way of going about things." She spoke with her normal voice. Not even bothering to whisper. Luckily, either they didn't notice, or they didn't care. "something unique… something weird, is going on."

"Huh? We just got lucky that we bumped into them."

"Yes indeed. A bit too lucky. But who am I to question fate. Let's move on, they're gaining on our current pace."

Without having time to give some unneeded response, the girl had already raced onwards. He made a short jog before he rejoined the group and together they all made it safely towards the alleyway. Luckily, it was abandoned and empty. Without thinking about it they entered the unknown darkness. Unlike before, where Kumoro and Busujima had made sure to have some sort of plan, they plainly rushed in now. Not guarding their rear, only their front. Surprisingly and fortunately, everything went better than expected.

"There is the parking lot, over there by the flames." Tadashi said.

"What? By the flames?" The young boy curiously remarked.

"Yeah the flames. You know, those big plumes of heat we see everywhere in the city…" Sakaki replied annoyed.

"Haha, basically what he said. No worries, it should be safe."Tadashi said again.

"Should be sa.." Spoke Takashi. " … ugh never mind."

The four of them kept on walking and they seemed to have shaken off most of them. They jogged to the parking lot and made their way to the pharmaceutical company. Once they reached the somewhat battered wall they leaned against it to catch their breath. Takashi rid himself of his jacket and notched it around his waist whilst rubbing the sweat of fear from his front face. Leaning against the wall and staring towards the ground he figured that this feeling would never get old. Most likely, the sensation of your approaching demise is one of the few things that don't get old. Never.

When he wanted to look in front of him he saw her long white legs in front of him. He followed them up until her skirt, and then he looked up towards her face. Her back was turned towards him, and even though her face was gazing the other way, he could easily imagine what she was looking like right now. It made him release one soft, almost completely silent, giggle. He regained his composure and took his place in between Saeko-senpai and the cops.

"Saeko-san, are you okay?"

He saw her cold eyes staring towards the alleyway they just came from, obviously expecting the horde to have followed them. She gave him a nod but nothing else. Surprised by her worried attitude he turned towards the cops instead. "Can we go? I think we've had enough time to catch our breathes by now."

"Y-yeah, yeah I think we should move on. Come, follow us. Takashi, you stick with me. Sakaki, watch over the girl."

"Right, understood. Come, ... Saeko was it?"

"Yes , sir." She poke monotone and without a tone of respect. Then again, so had he. The quartet moved on and stuck closely to the wall, most likely trying to blend in with the environment. When they passed a couple of bodies laying about they let their instincts take over again.

"Look, this woman here doesn't look... like one of them." Takashi spoke.

"We know. She's shot by raiders, bandits or psychos. Not all men and women can retain their... sanity. You know what I mean?" Sakaki answered. "They turn crazy, and think that the only way for them to survive is to... well, kill. At any rate, this implies that they're close. Keep your eyes open."

"What do you mean? I know... We've already seen people who've lost it. But are they actually out to kill other's?" The youngest of the four replied.

"Yes, they are. No keep it down, whomever did this can still be close. That body is fresh."

When the grumpy officer said this they all grabbed their weapons. It's one thing to be chased down by hordes of slow moving freaks. It's another thing all together when your enemies actually have brains.

"Come, let's go left here, past the department-store and then we'll be well on our ways towards the mall, and safety. Come on kiddos." Both cops basically said. And what they say, goes. At least, that's what they wanted, and that's what was happening. They crossed the parking lot directly and reached the department store.

"Great, now we ju..." The boy was interrupted when a sudden scream reached their ears.

"YOU THERE! HELP MEE!"

"What? Shit, look. Over there!" Takashi and Tadashi said.

All four of them looked to the building which was about fifty meters further down the road. A women, obviously battered was waving at them and screaming for help.

"JUST HELP ME ALREADY! QUICK!"

Gunshots were heard, and without having to say a thing all four of them raced towards the house.

"Come on, come on, come on. HOLD ON MISS, WE'RE ALMOST THERE!" Tadashi yelled. He was the first to respond to the distress call, but was quickly outrun by Saeko. The girl left them all well behind and was, obviously, the first one to reach the building.

As soon as the rest arrived the woman screamed again.

"We're here Miss! Hold on!" The cops yelled whilst they forced the door open. With one loud bang they had kicked the wooden board out of its cosy place and stormed in. The building they entered was dark, very dark even. The light that came from outside was the only thing they saw. However, what they heard was a whole lot more disturbing. Silence, then followed by clicks. A lot of them.

"What are t..."

"Everyone, get out! NOW!" Saeko suddenly yelled. She grabbed Takashi shirt and pulled him out of the building, she made sure the cops were running out as well and just as she rushed around the corner the treat became real. Bricks being shot apart, stone and metal flying around their ears and out of the building and door.

Takashi stumbled to the ground as he was pulled out of the building, and he noticed all too well how close that was. He saw shrapnel flying over his ears and onto his body but he was fast enough to roll aside. The two cops took cover right besides the entrance and returned some pop shots. They were already low on ammunition because of their struggle from a while back, and they were only wasting more now.

"Shit, all of you! Run! Back to the mall!" Tadashi yelled.

"Are you mad? We'll lead them to the survivors?" The other cop replied instead.

"Shit..." He ducked as he saw a wave of bullets penetrating the wall they were leaning against. "Just run! We'll see were we go!"

"Fuck... Shit, run kids!" Sakaki took front, grabbed Takashi from the ground and pushed Saeko in the right direction. Immediately followed by Tadashi they were sprinting away from the building and back towards the parking lot. It would be their best chance at shaking the shooters off.

"*pants* *pants* FASTER!" They looked back and saw four humans chasing them with blazing guns.

_This can't go on. We need to make a stand._ Saeko thought. She made sure she wouldn't sprint too fast and thus leave the rest behind, little did she know that that was going to be a big mistake.

Her steps felt light and her body was on fire. Foot after foot, jump after jump She was getting closer to the parking lot where she would... where she would... It was already too late. They had run as far as the centre of the lot and that would most likely be their downfall. Bullets were racing past their faces and it was a complete miracle that they hadn't been hit yet.

I suppose gun blazing maniacs don't make very good shots. Now, to add to the drama, out of the pharmaceutical company they had just passed another trio of gun wielding psychos came. Behind them were four, and in front of them three. Run to the left or right? Either way, they were dead. But they'd give it a shot anyways.

"Left! Left! Left! Into the butchery!" In the current commotion one of the cops had actually managed to hit one of them. Most likely not a fatal shot as they heard the screaming all too well, but it gave them some precious time to avoid the bullets coming from their front.

Takashi, Sakaki and Tadashi all kept yelling whilst sprinting. All four of them were scared shitless, obviously. Yet the one showed that a little different than the other.

"Just leave us already! Fuckfuckfuckfuckfuckfuck!` He fired his shotgun without aiming but was definitely out of range. Nevertheless, it let the raiders know that they weren´t chasing unarmed prey. A car in front of the butchery was being completely drilled by lead, and that caused the quartet of fleeing souls to make a wide turn before they´d enter the store.

" GET IN! NOW!" Tadashi jumped straight through the door which, fortunately, gave in right away. " Barricade it!"

" Never mind that! Take cover and fight!" Sakaki replied whilst indeed, taking shelter behind the nearest couch. Of course it wouldn't stop a good bullet, but it'd get him out of sight. Meanwhile Takashi checked the back of the house in the hopes of finding anything. It didn't really matter what it would be. Weapons, an exit? Really, anything would be fine.

Saeko followed him closely whilst still having her blade sheeted. And why not? It was not as if there was anything to slash this nearby.

" Takashi! Over there!" She suddenly yelled. When he looked at her he saw her fingers pointing at a pile of boxes. His eyes followed the wooden crates up and saw, to his great relief, an air shaft. But not just any air shaft, it was a perfect shaft. You know, one of those you see in the movies?

" Saeko-san, that's great. Come, call those two. We can get out of here!"

When he said this and saw her turning around to get the cops he figured he saw her face changing. Not physically, but something was off. She was thinking about something which he wasn't going to like, at all. However, it was still too early for Takashi to realize that. If only he had paid a bit more attention. He couldn't help it could he? His heart was beatingout of his chest and his body was pumping out adrenaline as if there would be no tomorrow. All he was focused on now was making sure that the barrels were placed correctly. He heard footsteps coming his way and saw the state troopers followed by that relative small figure that he cherished. Even in a time like this, seeing her seriousness, her beauty and her attitude reassured him. " Sakaki-san, Tadashi-san, through there!" He pointed up and saw the same reaction on their faces as he had had before. However, with this happiness, the painful truth also came up.

An almost perfect shot came through the window, through the door and directly in one of the barrels. Completely shattering one of the wooden planks, it caused Takashi to dash backwards and almost lose his footing.

At this point all of them stared at each other and they all knew…

They all knew that one of them was going to have to stay behind. For a short moment it became completely silent. Even the disturbance from outside faded away and only the four sane humans remained. " One of us is going to…"

…

…

…

" I will do it." The softest voice of them all said. She didn't get an answer. Only stares. She didn't get a compliment. Only stares. " I'll keep you all safe. Now go. Go and see y…"

" No. Nonono, there is no way that I'll allow this!" Takashi yelled back. " I'll stay here with you, or without you. I will…"

" Takashi-kun." She walked towards him and didn't stop until their noses almost touched. "It wasn't an offer nor a request. It's my own little order to myself. Now go, would you?" She said with a disturbing, but also loving smile.

His eyes twitched as he saw that girl, that woman, that hero standing in front of him. So calm, so confident and so sad. Of course her eyes were turning vaguely red, and of course she didn't want it. At least… the sane part of her didn't want to. But little psycho Saeko was still there, and at times like this. The beast in her awakened.

" No no no… I am the leader… I am your lov… Just.. no. I' ll stay. Run you all! Get out of here!"

Sounds were still being filtered, and only the occasional shot was heard. Sakaki returned fire with a newly found rifle. T' was a mere bolt action rifle, but it got the job done. Neither parties could get a clean hit off, nor could proceed. Then again,… as soon as the cop would stop shooting they would be swarmed. In fact they were already losing terrain right this very moment.

" Takashi-kun… Saeko-c…" Tadashi tried to speak, only to be interrupted.

" Leave already. I thought I already told you. No discussion." She unsheathed her blade, her artifact, her life and devotion. She looked down at the dazzled boy in front of him. Yes, yes she loved him all right. And because of that it was important that he'd keep on living. And do so as long as possible. " Takashi…" She moved in a little closer and for a split second, not even a tad longer she placed her lips on his' . Giving him no time to respond she had already turned her back towards him. As he saw her walking towards the door, and thus towards her imminent death he started to lose it. Was he powerless? Of course not. He wasn't going to let her do it her way.

"NO! I'm not leaving you alone! I' M NOT L...!" He tried to yell, but was interrupted by a furious voice.

"Just, GO ALREADY!" She was pissed all right. Not at him, not at Tadashi, Sakaki nor at herself. She was furious at fate. How could this be happening. They had been through these kind of things before hadn't they? And now it was just going to end?

"Takashi-kun, hurry! That girl has made up her mind we CANNOT linger." Tadashi suddenly yelled. He knew damn well how hard it was to lose a friend, heck, little did he know that they were lovers, but at times like this they had to act. And the only way to survive was by moving fast. He would only later start to doubt himself about this. Shouldn't he have been the one sacrificing himself? He was a cop after all, wasn't he? A sworn protector of the people? He knew Sakaki was thinking the same thing... and yet... neither of them spoke. They wanted to live as well. Their families were still out there and... and...

"No no no.. Saeko-san. I'm staying with you." He said once again. And for just a mere moment, he thought he was coming through that thick and valiant skull of hers.

"Ta…kashi." She resented him for not leaving immediately. It didn't only make this harder for himself, but also for her. Didn't he see that? Didn't he... Maybe it was a bad thing, or maybe a good thing, nevertheless the senior officer grabbed him and pulled him backwards. Forcing him to change his thoughts, but it wasn't working.

"Hey, what are you two doing, get your hands off me! NOO!"

He screamed, yelled, and murmured. Nothing helped. Nothing made him win. It was over... all over.

T'was as if he heard a soft piano tune playing in his head. Nothing came through. Only that girl. That one girl. He saw her face all too well. He saw her grinning, he saw her crying, laughing, remising and thinking. Her eyes glanced, awaiting the slaughter and pain to come. Her lips were emotionless. And to top it all off, the last thing he got from her was a nod. Not a smile, not a kiss nor a word. A nod, a simple nod. But that small gesture... that single, unforgettable gesture was going to be haunting, and blessing, him for the rest of his life. He felt himself being distanced from the girl. And when he had regained his stance she had her back turned. Sakaki and Saeko were having a conversation but about what?

He couldn't hear anything. Only his heart and sniffs and screams. She was apparently handed over a gun, but refused it. Nodded at the cop and stood in the door opening. Already the fired lead was flying past her. One shot though her hair, and yet another one deflected on her sheet. The whole room was being covered in smoke by now.

" Saeko-san... Senpai... Busujima... no no no. SAEKO! DON'T !" He gave another pull, but was powerless. " SAEKO! NOOOOOO!"

She made her first step. Followed by another one, another one, another one and yet another one. The sound of furniture being crushed by a hailstorm of bullets, glass being shattered and lead being spilled without remorse. She had disappeared now, slipped from his grasp. Forever? Would she survive? Of course Takashi knew better... Seven armed men and women against one... Guns against blades... even Saeko wouldn't be able to pull that off...

And not even by the common enemy they had been fighting all along?, no... she was going to die because of humans. Because of frail and useless humans.

" G-goodbye... Saeko... T' was my honour. You deserved... someone who could have defended you." His feet moved automatically now. Up the barrels and in the shaft. Crawling forwards, away from his love, and towards his friends.

Meanwhile in the mall.

" Oh come on, that's not fair!"

" Shut it you nerd! I won, now give me your glasses."

" But... I need them."

" I know! You'll get them back don't worry."

Kohta had once again managed to lose a game. And with that loss, he would volunteer in one of Saya's vague experiments on how to grow plants in a mall. What did his glasses have to do with that anyways?

" Come on you. Follow me to the roof."

" I... I..." He looked up, first her feet, then her shins, skirt, tummy, and well sized, god forbid that they were jiggling, breasts. How could a girl this smart, be this beautiful? He didn't worry all too much anymore. Those two cops were well on their way to find his friends. Besides, he got to be alone with Saya-san. What more could he have wished for.

" Stand up already!" She grabbed his hand and pulled him up. However, something was off. Normally she'd be a whole lot more... violent. This time however she smiled. " Kohta-kun... we' ll survive here. We found the way. Come, let us put this behind us and share the good news."

" Y...Y-eah!" He smiled and grabbed her hand tightly out of instinct. Not long however, he blushed and pulled his small chubby hands back. At least, that's how he thought his hands looked like. The truth was, that he was losing weight. Of course, it had only been a few days so the effects weren't that clear yet. But he definitely looked a whole lot more... hero-like. Was that why Saya acted all nice? Or did she do that because of their success? Because their friends would be safe?

The truth was... that there was no truth. She didn't know why she stopped resenting that kid. T' is not that she ever hated him. But he annoyed her, very much so. Ever since they had been at her home that had changed. She had seen his determination. His love for her? Maybe it was coming through. The walls of her normally impenetrable fortress had shown a weak spot. A soft spot and a love spot. Now it was just up to her and Kohta, how it was going to end. If they'd play the cards right, something chemical might actually come to exist between them.

Once they had reached the top floor and were covered by the open skies. Her, and his, thoughts were rudely interrupted by screams. Not screams of fear, but screams of joy. At least… at first it was joy. They heard Zeke's barking, Alice's soft voice coming from underneath them. Rei's joy and Shizuka's care. However… all of these beautiful sounds were fading away as fast as they had appeared.

" What's going on over there?" She whispered to herself before rushing towards the edge. Kohta had been faster and was already gazing at the trio that was slowly stepping towards the mall. It was great but… There were only three? Three men… what happened to…

What happened to…

What happened to her life?

_Right. It has been a while. Please forgive me you all! I liked writing this. I suppose the break I had to take was actually needed. I'll try to upload more frequently from here by on. Not promising anything though._

_This chapter? I don't know. I like it. Yet maybe it is a bit too… dramatized? Or a bit too stupid and loveless. However, this is it for this time._

_And don't worry, I suppose we can all guess that Saeko isn't dead and all. I know I know… spoilers, spoilers! But come on, I wouldn't just let her die would I? _

_Oh yes, and the little Kohta and Saya moment? Maybe a bit rushed. But I added it anyways. People have been asking for it, and I, the humble poor fella, reply. _

_Thanks for reading and your patience!_

_Yours sincerely,_

_Yamucha-san._


	15. She's alive alive life

_Thanks you all !For sticking with me, and still reading It after quite some time. _

_Okay, many people don't want Saeko to die. And of course, neither do I. It was never even my intention to let her die, so I'll already spoil it. _

_Saeko, is not dead. There. _

_I do not own highschool of the dead, all rights belong to its original author and animators. All new characters are mine. ( I know fan made characters do more harm than good. But no worries, It'll still be only the group. Just some minor appearances from other characters.) _

**Act 15: **

"Hoist them in…" He heard. Followed by a "Give them some water." He felt exhausted. His feet wouldn't move and his mind felt numb. He felt himself being carried somewhere, he felt hands supporting his body and head. Why couldn't he move?

Mental breakdown.

"How is he doing? Is Takashi going to be all right?" Little Alice asked.

"Of course he is." The nurse smiled. "He's exhausted… and… He's broken."

"Where is Saeko?"

"She'll be here in a few days.. there is nothing to worry little girl. Please, see if the officers want something to drink." The blonde woman stared at the guy in front of her. She had washed off the remaining dirt, blood and sweat and luckily his physical injuries were minimal. It was his brain which was damaged. Not his body. When the girl was gone she began to tend to her patient again. Yet truth to be told… there was very little she could do. It was up to Takashi himself to get over this loss.

When she put a cold, wet towel on his front head and chest she walked off to check on the officers, and then join her group on the roof. Ever since the new arrivals, that had basically been their place.

"Calm down Rei. He's going to be all right. We should be more worried about…" Saya spoke in a vain attempt to ease the girls' worries.

"Calm down? Calm down? How can I…" Her eyes were damp, of course. Her father was back, and they knew where her mother was. Wasn't that perfect? Shouldn't she be with them? Everything seemed to be going flawless until they returned. Saeko gone, Takashi exhausted. Her father pissed off and the other cop, of whom she didn't really care, started yelling at about everyone. You'd think she wouldn't care about the blue haired girl? Of course she did. If anything, she needed a person to hate. But no, that wasn't it. She really missed her. And now… because they went to look for HER parents, she went missing. And… most likely, no.. just certain. Was dead.

"I'm sorry. You're right. I'll just go down, and talk to father. He needs me as well… If you'd excuse me." She stood up and walked down the stairs. The bright red safety railings reminded her of the blood stream and the dark wall reminded her of decay. In fact, everything she saw at the moment, would remind her of some sort of moody and agonizing matter.

_Is this all my fault then? If I hadn't send my father to go look for them… would they have been safe? No… of course not. They'd both be dead. What am I supposed to say to Takashi now? Tell him that I'm sorry, or… *Sigh* I just don't know._

She opened the heavy iron door that lead to the staircase and entered the main hall again. Ever since the survivors had arrived it was crowded. Old stores were being cleared out for space to sleep. Even now, in times like this, these people had a need of privacy. And the now useless stores would make perfect little houses. It was most likely just a matter of time before their little spot on the roof would be discovered and –inhabited- as well. She saw some battered faces looking at her, and even though her body was being checked out by random dirt men… and even some women, she ignored it and kept on marching towards her father.

Surviving officers had guided these people towards the mall when their last bastion had been destroyed by treachery and fear. And what was a better place to go than a location with food, shelter and medicines. Yes that's right. The mall.

She entered the former security room and immediately saw her father sitting there. The two female, and four male officers left the room because they knew all too well that this would be a private conversation, or at least emotional. However, Rei asked Sakaki if he could stay. Not directly, but just with her eyes. Was it that strange that she just wanted to know what happened out there? Apparently it was, for all of the adults gave her the vague eye. Why? Her love lay mentally defeated in a bed, a companion had died and this was only the second time she saw her father this sad. The former time being… you know? She didn't even want to think about that anymore.

"Father… You know what I want to ask now? Do you?" She spoke monotone.

"Yes… come, sit down. Saki, please shut the door."

With some grumbling the cop did as he was told and sat on the desk, about two meters way from Tadashi and Rei.

"I don't know where to start, but…"

"Just begin with the beginning. Look… I don't want to know the details. I want to know what happened with Takashi. And … Busujima."

"Busujima? That girl was…" tadashi's eyes suddenly sprung open. "Yes, yes indeed. She had indeed said something about that. That girl, Saeko was it? Was the daughter of… That explains so much."

"You know her father?" Rei asked.

"Yes,.. well, her mother actually, of course I do. Who doesn't from the stories? Haha… But I also knew him personally. At least vaguely. There's a lot about that man which can't be… comprehended"

"Yes… A striking resemblance."

"Was she a friend of you? Or…" He asked, just to be sure.

"No… we were not friend. Quite the contrary even. But she's still one of our companions… and if it hadn't been for… something, we might have been friends." AS she had spoken these words Rei saw the two men look at each other and shake their heads.

"It's about Takashi, no?"

".. Ugh.. no. I don't want to talk about it. But I can assure you that that isn't it." Whether they believed her or not wasn't the point. She just didn't want her father to think… or know… she was the jealousy type.

"Then what do you want to know? How we lost the girl? How me and Tadashi should have sacrificed ourselves instead?"The other cop suddenly spoke, quite fervently. "Do you think I'm proud of this? Letting a child kill herself off, instead of us? We, police officers, whom have sworn to protect the citizens of Japan? Do you…"

"Sakaki! That's enough."Tadashi interrupted when he saw his daughters eyes sadden. "She knows how we feel, but you should also know how she feels. She lost her friend and boyfriend in one sweep… the least we can do is show some sympathy. "

"Sympathy… sympathy?"

As the two officers were arguing they didn't notice the girl, nor the approaching figure. Rei simply sat there, staring at the ground, waiting for the two men to finish their quarrel so they could continue to enlighten her about what had happened. However, before that happened they heard a loud knock on the door. Followed by two others.

"Sir, open the door. We need…" Before the woman could finish her sentence Tadashi had already unlocked the door and went outside to get a status report. Apparently a scouting squad had returned with some sort of bad, or good news. Rei couldn't tell. Now that she was alone with Sakaki her will to talk about this disappeared. And without saying another thing she left the room, walked past her dad, past the perverts, elderly, infants and the sick. All the way up to the roof.

Whilst Rei was gone Saya, Kohta and partly Alice and Shizuka had also entered their own little conversation.

As saya had seen the door being closed when Rei walked off she sat down on a railing, overseeing the destroyed city. She could even see, though barely, her parent's villa. Were they all right? Who was she kidding? Of course they weren't. Her mother, father and that handful of guards had no hope of stopping thousands of them. Literally, no hope. She saw the smoke plumes, car wrecks, blood stains and bodies everywhere she looked. If only the dead remained dead… that'd be great. Yet then again… there wouldn't be this entire trial. Whatever, she didn't really care about that. All she wanted was to survive. And the pink haired girl would do that by examining the enemy. Was there a remedy? A fatal weakness? Like in the movies…?

"Saya-san, watch out. You'll fall down if you're not careful…" Kohta spoke.

"I won't fall… I'm not an idiot."

"It's… still dangerous."

"This whole existence is dangerous…"

"Sa…"

"Hirano… Kohta, or whatever. Look. We're all down, and on the brink of breaking right now. Don't try to act as if you're not…" This time it was she whom was interrupted.

"Yes. Yes we are. But that doesn't mean we should sit down and succumb to this loss. Saeko-senpai Sacrifie…"

"Don't mention that!" Saya suddenly yelled. Both to stop Alice from knowing, and to keep herself from crying. She had known Saeko for about a week now. But they all owed her life to her didn't they? It should have been they who…

"I know what you're thinking. It should have been you instead of her?" Shizuka suddenly spoke. And it struck them dumb when these words left her mouth.

"Wh… how."

"You're thinking that it should have been one of you, instead of her. But let me put it like this…

"No, just don't. let's drop this. How's Takashi?" Saya interrupted.

"He'll be fine… give him an hour to come to his senses. It's not as if he unable of speech, or has any… " Just when she spoke these words the door opened behind her and there he was. Their own young leader. His eyes were dark and he didn't immediately say something. No, he just joined the group and sat down next to Kohta, whom had on his turn sat down in front of Saya.

"Takashi, how are you?" The two other teenagers asked. The boy looked up and smiled. "I'm fine. No worries. Just as… moody… as you all I reckon."

They knew it was worse for him. If they already felt it this bad, that it should've been them instead of Saeko. How would he feel? As the appointed leader. And as her love. The mood was lightened up a bit when their little pet dog jumped on his leap, licking his face with passion.

"Blrgh.. what the? Baah, get off" He lifted the dog up in the air and looked at it. It's tongue hanging out and its tail swinging left and right without break. "Ignorance is bliss, or so they say." Nobody really laughed out loud at this event, but still. It was an eye opener that there could still be… happier times.

"You guys… I'm sorry. Sorry about losi…" He couldn't finish his sentence before the door was opening once again. This time it was Rei entering. And upon seeing Takashi sitting there her eyes shined. Her mouth opened and little squeals of joy left her.

"T-t-takashi! You're all right!" She didn't care that all which was given to her in return was a smile. She ran up to him anyways and jumped up against him. Wrapping her arms around him for an intense hug. He could feel her sobbing, and heard her words of relieve. He himself, was happy as well. To be alive that was. The last two gifts he got from Saeko were his life, and a nod. And Takashi was more than determined to use the gift of life to its fullest.

"Rei, it's good to see you." He spoke. And he meant it. He tapped her bag three times to comfort her but then pulled her away softly, so he could talk. It wasn't meant to offend her, and for a change she didn't think it was.

"I'm glad you're all happy to see me alive. And I know we are all mourning our loss. But I say… No, I know… We must leave it behind us." He was crying inside, but had to keep his cool. "We'lll take five minutes of silence, before we'll leave it… not to be spoken of again. We must go on. She didn't sacrifice herself for nothing, she did it to safe me, Tadashi-san and Sakaki-san. But also for you… for us. Besides… don't you think it's a death… fitting for Saeko?" Saying it this bluntly hurt him. But also blessed him. After all, it was the truth wasn't it. If she had to have died, he would have wanted her to die in an honorable way. And she did the latter.

All the others nodded. And with that the silence begun.

Takashi closed his eyes and leaned backwards. The sun, shining upon his lids made him see crazy forms. Red, green, yellow. All the colors. But then, as if fate wanted to tease him. It all turned blue, …blue and indigo.

These forms quickly changed. He saw her face. He saw her body. It was nothing special up until the point that the vague lines of her body became curved, straight and clear. There she stood, with her back turned towards him. Hair waving to the right and her arms most likely crossed in front of her. He tried to scream, but… he was supposed to be silent. Wasn't he? He didn't have to yell though. Her face turned to look at him, and so did the rest of her enthralling body. No emotions were shown, but instead she simply walked towards him. It felt so real, was it real? It couldn't be real. He saw her legs moving graciously towards him. Step by step, his eyes moved up towards her well formed breasts, whom were even in his dreams, in perfect shape and in his mind jiggling. But this time it was her face which spell bounded him. His eyes locked with hers and he smiled. When she had walked just in front of him, her face moved towards him and then… she disappeared. Her scent, her body and her mere presence faded away. He didn't care… he was satisfied.

The five minutes had long since passed, and every looked at him. His hands were behind his head, and his eyes still closed. A long stream of salt fluid crawled downwards from his eyes. But he smiled, he was happy. Thus the rest was also happy.

Meanwhile, in an alleyway not too far from the mall.

"No, get away from me! GET AWAY!" Some shots were heard. The bullets penetrated metal pipes or were shunned off by the stone walls. Even when his pistol did hit some flesh nothing happened to it. "Wh-… what… are you?"

-silence-

-gunshots-

-screams-

-gurgling-

- more silence-

The slender figure pulled from the fresh body, its once shiny metal. The squishy sound which emitted from it pleased it. It aroused it and it controlled it. The figure didn't speak, only grinned, smiled even. Another slash was given as a present to the barely breathing man below it, followed by another, another, another and yet another. Blood sprayed from both his body, and its blade.

As this was happening another voice yelled at it, calling out for mercy. "STOP IT! Please, we didn't mean it like that! All we wanted was to survive! Please, oh sweet lord, have mercy. " The battered man stumbled, as his legs had already been bleeding for quite some time now. As he fell to the ground he knew it was over. His heart shrunk and he wanted to swallow his fear if only his throat would let him.

Desperately trying to crawl away he started to hear soft footsteps from behind him.

*tick* *tick* *tick*

"GET AWAY!"

*tick* *tick*

"AWAY WITH YOU, FILTHY MONSTER!"

"No… no no… nonononono. Hnng." He kept on crawling forwards. Trying to stand up only to fall again. He hadn't traversed four meters before a shot of pain was flowing through his body. He screamed out in pain as he felt the metal, which was warm from all the blood, divide his Achilles tendon in two. His body wouldn't listen anymore and he wanted to turn around, but the blade was planted firmly through his flesh, and in the ground. He squirmed, cried and prayed. It was too late. He felt a boot on his neck, pressing him to the ground.

"Hnnnnn, you can't do this, if there's anything left in you which is human, you can't do this!"

He didn't know whether it was responding or not, but the sound he heard was dangerously close to the sound of laughter. Also, that was going to be the last sound, besides his cracking neck, which he would ever hear.

The pressure on his neck was increasing, and all he could do was produce some squeaking screams.

*Crrrrkkk*

"Nooo, NOOOOO, Hnnnnnnnngggggg"

*Crack*

*snap*

*silence*

And when all was finally done? The shade walked away. As if nothing had happened. It shuffled away, clinging closely to its belly and right arm.

_I'm not going to die… I'm not going to die… I'm not going to die…_ Were the only thoughts emitting from her brain. The shade didn't display pain nor triumph. It walked towards one simple direction, and that was the mall. 

Back at the shopping center.

"Come on stupid nail, stay put. There! –clop- Shit! Aucchhhhtsss…. My finger. Fu.." He let the hammer fall down and it barely missed the younger kid below him.

"Oi oi oi, Takashi. What the hell are you doing up there?'

"Doing your dirt work… Tss… my finger!"

"Don't be such a cry baby Takashi! You sh… -doink- AU! ARgh… my head… hnnnggg….. What did you do that for?"

"I didn't even…"

"Ahh shit man… that hurts."

"So does my finger!"

"WOULD YOU TWO KEEP IT DOWN!" Saya suddenly yelled. "Im trying to wire this thing up. In the HOPES of getting us light and warmth. The odds are nigh and it's hard enough already… sjees."

"Yes ma'am. "

"Yes ma'am."

"I'm not a…"

"Sorry ma'am."

"Kohta…"

"HNg… sorry sorry sorry. Uhm… let me do.."

"Just be quiet…"

The moods had risen quite a lot, and the six of them had decided to craft their own little place on top of the mall. They'd need shelter, warmth, food and each other. It would be cold soon, so every single one of those would be necessary. It was easy to make shelter from the rain, and whilst everyone was emptying the timber shop downstairs they had ample supplies.

"Saya-san.. can I help you?"

"Again… you did that before, I can create a fire myself. "

"I know you can, but check this out." Out of the sudden he walked towards her and kneeled. Immediately going to business he started to fiddle a little with Saya's device. Little sparks were already flying from it, then they saw the first smoke and within no time he had managed to make a fire.

"Wowa," She spout out as she fell on her hindquarters. The fire suddenly rose up and was big within no time. "I didn't know this would be so… so effective. K-Kohta… " She looked at the boy, who was just as dumbstruck as she, and grinned. His somewhat dirty face, long hair and glasses looked really different now. No, he was not the most beautiful guy around, but definitely not the ugliest one either. He had a tad too much fat… that was for sure, but…

All of the sudden she shook her head, and saw him looking towards her. Instead of immediately staring the other way they held eye contact for about two seconds. Sure, he was blushing and smiling as he had always done. Yet this time she felt a little something tickling in her tummy as well. It was faint, and not really there yet. However, before this point, it hadn't been there at all.

Takashi had observed this little stunt of theirs whilst he and Rei were trying hard to make some sort of roof. If this wasn't going to work they'd be forced to sleep with all the others. And… they didn't know why,… but that wasn't something they wanted. They had come this far on their own. Not to be treated as children.

Of course, when he saw Kohta and Saya like this he thought of his own flirting. First with Rei, but then the inevitable thoughts of Busujima Saeko came haunting his mind again. Not for long this time however, as suddenly they heard Alice and Shizuka scream, and the dog bark.

"What's that? Is that… hmm, it can't be." The blonde nurse kept on mumbling as she saw a bloodied figure walking towards the mall.

"That's… Saeko! It's her! You guys! Come and see this! She looks…" Alice suddenly screamed! Before she had finished her fervent yelling all of them came rushing towards the railing

Takashi almost fell over it, and as he saw that small, almost ant-size figure below him he didn't know what came into him.

None of them did.

Nobody knew what to do for the first few seconds.

"S…saeko-san." Were the only words spoken, by both Saya and Kohta. After that Takashi, Rei, Kohta, Saya, Alice and Shizuka began to rush down. Followed by the dog whom appeared to be quite happy as well.

_What the.,.. she's alive… alive… life. _

_So this wraps things up this time. This chapter? It's okay, I suppose. When I read it again I'll probably change a lot about it again so I won't. I fell for that too often already. _

_Please review, and tell me what you think. Tell me what you like, and what you think I could do better. Or worse. Never mind that last. Only what I can do better…. Pardon me. You don't have to have an account, so you have no excuse! : )_

_Your time would be appreciated. _

_Also, I'd like to thank everyone whom has favorite me, and/or my story. It's really appreciated and it always makes my day._

_See you next time!_


	16. I miss you

_Whoop whoop… I actually had no idea how I should write this chapter. Truth to be told, I still barely do. I just hope that you'll like it. Oh, actually now I do know. I just stopped writing for a day to think about t, and now I have some pretty clear ideas. _

_I do not own highschool of the dead. All rights belong to its original author and animators. All newly added character do belong to me. _

**Act 16: I miss you.**

"Quick, get down the stairs! We need to h…" Takashi was interrupted by the inevitable sound of a bullet being fired. All six of them stopped for a little bit, simply struck dumb by that noise. Did the officer, whom was on guard duty, just shoot at Saeko?

Without saying another word Takashi sprinted onwards. Jumping over the debris they left behind and skillfully avoiding doors and people whom were standing in the way. His heart raged and his mind was set on only one thing.

Seeing that girl.

"Stop shooting! Don't shoot goddammit DO NOT SHOOT!" He yelled as hard as he could. In fact, he yelled so hard that his throat went soar right after his third barrage of screams. Fortunately though, he was heard. Two female officers yelled at the gun wielding guard that he should stop and lower his aim. Not sure about what he was doing wrong the man seemed to protest. Nevertheless, he put down the gun and stared at the young boy.

"Jeez… You boy! Come over here!" There was absolutely no need for his yelling though because the elated Takashi came running straight towards him. Followed by a group of five others the man in uniform really didn't know what to do in this case. He looked at the target he had tried to shoot, but because of the sunlight in his eyes, missed. That looked like an infected to him all right, it still did. When he looked towards the boy again he almost lost his footing when the kid had climbed the car and was racing towards him.

"Hey boy stop!"

His screaming was utterly useless as the brown haired guy pushed him aside and jumped from over the barricade on top of the humvee.

"HEY BOY! GET BACK HERE! He… what the?" When he heard other people climb up the car he figured that he had to at least try and stop them. As soon as the first girl reached him he grabbed her by the waist, and the other body was stopped in the same way.

"LET GO!" Rei screamed. She was scared. Seeing Takashi jumping out of safety this carelessly was… nothing new. But it was still spooky all right.

"Saeko, Saeko, Saeko!" He kept running. He was still tired from their trip before but that didn't matter. Did she still live? He saw that figure standing there, about twenty meters seperated from him. Katana, boots, skirt, school uniform, long enthralling hair. Yes, yes the shade had it all. But… It was barely moving. He kept on running and even had to obliterate the skull of one of them that got in the way. Though the officers had cleared out most of the … by them called – infected-, there were still a handful of stragglers.

He was getting closer now. However, as he got near her proximity he also felt his heart being squeezed by fear. She was far from okay. Was she bitten? No… no that couldn't be. Could it? He saw all the blood on both the girl, and the blade. He saw her tattered clothing, in fact. He even saw a trail of blood from where she had come from. All the way over to the alleyway behind her. It didn't stop him from running towards her though.

"Saeko! Saeko-san!" As soon as he got closer he threw his arms around her. He didn't care whether she was one of them, or whether she was in anguish. Was that egoistic and dumb of him? Yes, it was. But Takashi really couldn't help it. She was back… she really was. Be it dead or alive, she was back!

He hugged her with all of his strength before he heard a soft and passive squeal coming from her lips. And then the screams from behind him. It was obvious that it were his friends screaming but he couldn't get himself to let her go. He felt the red liquid being absorbed by his clothing, he felt it flowing over his skin.

_She's still bleeding? No… you can't be… _ He let her go for a second and gazed at her. Her waist… her waist was… completely red. Her arm, neck…

"SAEKO! Come on! Let's get you back!" He didn't wait for a response for it was obvious that she wasn't in the state to talk. He also only now realized that her body was shivering without pause. If she'd die here… whilst coming all the way back… That'd be some cruel irony from fate. He carried her like a knight does with his princess. Only now the princess was on the brink of death. As he was running back he saw two policemen jumping down the humvee. One of the females had probably called Sakaki and they were well on their way to helping him.

"Come on! We're almost there! Almost there I tell you! Almo…. Auch!" All of the sudden he felt a sharp pinch in his leg. He looked down for an instance, almost losing his footing in the process, and noticed something with he would never remember.

He saw courage, faith, honour, … and above all. Determination.

He saw that bloodied hand still clinging tightly to her blade. Her whole body had practically gone numb except that one arm. Even now, on the brink of dead. She hadn't given up. She held her katana as if it was her life.

Then again… it was her life. The blade was a part of her, and letting it go would immediately destroy her self-esteem and honour.

He was violently shaken awake as he practically bumped straight in to the two –friendly- faces. Without saying a thing, besides some screams of course, one of them helped Takashi carrying his dehydrated flower, and the other violently unleashed some madness against a few of them. He could hear some muffled gun shots behind him yet he didn't care. Obviously he didn't care. His mind was engulfed with both happiness and anger. The source of happiness was obvious but the source of his anger? But to whom was that anger oriented? At himself,… yes mostly at himself for the time being. He'd sit down and think about it later but for now he had to bring her to safety. That was all that mattered.

Once they reached the humvee again he could see the familiar faces of Tadashi, Hirano and Rei. He was exhausted and empty. And as soon as that lovable burden was taken from his arms he exhaled and inhaled like an animal. It wasn't long before he himself was almost lifted on top of the car as both Saya, whom had also climbed up the vehicle, and the female officer lifted him up. He didn't really care about the way they had almost snapped his arm by doing so. He just wanted to see those blue eyes staring at him. Be it crying eyes or shining eyes. He had to see them. He really had to. At this point, blue was most likely his new favorite color.

"Is she all right?"

"Who is that?"

"What is going on?"

"Calm down everyone!"

"Everything is alright is it?"

These were just a few of the whispers that went through the gathered horde of survivors. Some cops were desperately trying to calm them down, but every now and then one would scream or use violence to make his way forwards. It wasn't even a strange reaction was it? Curiosity remains… always.

And to see a bloodied girl being dragged in was indeed something to be curious about. And to top it off, she seemed to be… dead. The latter spread commotion throughout the entire horde.

Luckily the officers had enough , at this point, respect amongst them that they were able to calm down the crowd. But for how long? It didn't matter now. The people made way for both the two officers whom were carrying the girl and they allowed the six others to follow the unconscious girl as well. Of course, a lot of remarks were thrown at their heads. They all thought they were bringing in an infected. And maybe they were right.

"Quick, somebody get some first aids packages! We need a doctor over here now!" The female officer spoke. She and Sakaki seemed to know each other well for he had already began with sending off the crown and making sure that nobody would interfere for the time being. T'was a rather useless action though. Having a near dead person in the middle of a huge hallway is a sure way to attract attention. Nevertheless, the group of six and the few officers managed to make a little circle and isolate themselves.

Without having to yell another time, Shizuka was already all over the girl. Not even responding to anything the policewoman had to say. Takashi stood right behind her with Rei whom sought cover behind his shoulders. Saya kept to the background with Alice. Kohta simply sat on his knees, for this was truly the last thing he would've seen coming.

"S-Saeko…-san." The young leader whispered. He only just now noticed how bad her situation was. Why was it always she who would get wounded? First her shoulder, now this… He was too absorbed in thought to notice another man joining the group.

"let me see her, I'm a doctor." He was initially stopped but forced his way through the occupied cops. He immediately joined Shizuka and quickly convinced her to get her somewhere else. He then ordered the cops to clear a room and set up a first aid center.

And whilst all this was happening? The rest did nothing. What were they to do? Two –doctors- were taking care of her now weren't they?

Saeko was moved to the first aid centre and that was the last thing Takashi saw. He really couldn't get himself to move from that spot. All he could was look up. Looking up at the door being closed.

"S-s…"

He felt a hand on his shoulder and turned to looked Rei in the eyes. Her eyes were red, and so were his'.

"Takashi… let's not stay here… lest we draw any more attention. Come… let's go up." She gently pushed him in the direction of the stairs and was followed immediately by Kohta, Alice and Saya and Zeke. At first the pink haired girl refused, but was convinced easily enough once she saw the trail of blood which went all the way from the humvee up until the aid center.

"So… much… blood."

"Those damned kids… what the hell have they brought between our boundaries? We should kill it before it turns." Sakaki spoke.

"Shush it… the girl didn't seem to be turning did she? She was unconscious… if not dead. But not one of the infected."

"And since when are you an expert on this outbreak? Can't you see the revived fear in everyone's eyes? They'll be destroying that girl themselves if we don't do it for them."

"They won't… they're too scared for that. We all are… have you seen the way she had a smile on her face? The way she held her blade? I think… there's more to that girl than we think Sakaki-san."

Serena, which was her name, and Sakaki were promptly interrupted by Tadashi. Who didn't say a thing, but merely nodded at them to guard the newly built aid center. Without saying a word they obeyed. Mister Miyamoto sighed when she saw them walking off. He nodded at some other colleagues and then made his way towards the staircase.

"… What have we done…?"

"Quick, hand me the morphine from my bag." The bald man spoke.

"What… morphine?"

"Yes, hurry. We don't know whether her senses are still active or not. If we cause her any more pain she might pass out from the shock. Now hurry up."

"Y-… yes." The blonde woman raced towards the bag and opened it. Once she could see his belongings she almost let it fall on the ground but kept herself from doing so. The bag was filled with injections and operation tools. So he really was a doctor then? "Here…"

"Thanks. Now please, could you darken the windows. I can't work when I feel the stares of all those people." He ordered again whilst pointing at the two officers and the survivors on the background.

"Right."

Miss Shizuka didn't really know how she should act. She had always been their… doctor. But truth to be told, she was a mere nurse. That meant he was basically her superior in both knowledge and skill. She'd better do what he wanted right? … right?

She went to grabbing some black blankets and hung them in front of the windows. But of course, not before lighting some lamps. As soon she turned around she saw that man. Doing what he did best on her friend and savior. Sure, she knew they thought she was rather oblivious. And she most likely was. Nevertheless, she hadn't forgotten how Saeko had saved her life back in the school clinic.

And this sight… this sight of a basically dead friend being operated… was horrid.

X Back at the other five.X

He busted through the door as soon as he had reached the top. He didn't want to be here. None of them wanted to. Yet he had no choice… Being down there would only mean that he'd be in the way.

Would she survive? He was convinced that she would. What he worried about the most was her sanity. Would she be… Busujima Saeko after this? Or would she have succumbed as well? No matter how strong. A person's mind is something fragile when put under enough pressure. And the burden she carried, the one of protector, might even be the biggest of them all. Even bigger than his title of –leader-.

He knew the rest would follow him no matter where he'd sit down so privacy wasn't an option. But silence was. He sat down on top of a ventilation shaft and challenged the disappearing sun to a staring contest.

Some rumbling behind him was all he heard, but it was already enough to disturb and annoy him. It also made him feel the damp red liquid which was clamping to his shirt to his skin.

"Takashi… are you hurt?" Rei asked friendly and calm. She knew that there wouldn't be help from Shizuka at this point so it'd be best if they would treat every small wound as soon as possible. Grumbling a bit at first before realizing that he had absolutely no reason at this point to be rude to her he replied.

"No… just a little cut in my leg. Nothing serious." Takashi spoke, and gave the girl a hidden grin afterwards.

"Let me see it."

"What? No… it's nothing. Really." But his words went unheard. And even Saya added that he should let them see it. The problem however was that… the wound was kinda on his upper leg.

"D'erm… I thank you all but… not now. Really not now." He laid down on his back and completely ignored the words that were thrown at him by the pink haired girl. Yet… he also noticed someone fiddling with his leg.

"Wh.. Rei… please, some other time. I want to close my eyes for a bit."

"Shhh, shhh. This won't take long. Just close your eyes already if you have to."

"*sigh*… thanks." He did as she said and closed his eyes. After a few stitched and pinches he realized that she had bound some sort of towel around his leg. The fiery feeling that ran over the wound didn't really bother him. After all, he felt that he was being unfair if he was complaining about this scratch whilst she lay down there, with her stunning body drilled by lead, shrapnel and god may know what else.

_What happened back there? Are you ever going to tell me? I guess you won't… But,… I want to know more about you. And the more that I think about it, the more I want to know. Because… well… what do I know about your private life before all of this? Nothing… nor do you remember anything of my life. Sure… the few times we bumped into each other at school, but those don't count as… What am I thinking? Of course they do count… But I loved Rei back then. Not anym… That's not fair is it? Has she really loved me all that time? Even with Hisashi? I doubt it… but what if she's not lying? What if…._

_Nonono.. I have made my choice. Saeko-san… If you pass away… we all will. Without your beautiful way of killing them… none of us stand a chance. You're the spine of our group. The spine and the muscles… And the grace. _

His thoughts disappeared for a little bit when he heard the iron door opening and a man talking. He didn't know whom had entered, but it sure as hell wasn't Saeko… which meant that it wasn't important at this point. A soft hand touched his front head and seemed to rub something away from his eyes. Was it dirt? No… was he crying?

_But what do we do now? Can we do anything for you? Can I do anything for you? The only one with any knowledge is Shizuka-san and.. and that man. They'll get you back on your feet again… but I'm more frantic about what's going to happen then? You can't be the same after this can you. I mean… you saved us a…_

He felt salty liquor pouring from his eyes and his breath became heavier at the next thought. Yet he still refused to open his eyes.

_You can't love my anymore can you? You can't care for any of us anymore? You protected us… guided us…. And we left you behind! We left you there to throw away your own life for ours. We should've fought together and we'd have been able to tackle them. They'd be no match… why did we run? And why didn't you…_

His mind formed her pale face. But not stunning this time. Her flawless skin was white, skull white. Her oceanic eyes were overtaken by a miasma of disease and hatred. What was this face? Was it… speaking? He wanted to listen. He wanted to reach out, but right before the words reached his ears his entire body tensed and he suddenly sat up in a reflex.

"What?' He yelled at himself. He felt his wet cheeks and his burning body. He was breathing heavily and clenched his fists. He wanted to hit something, someone or himself. It didn't really matter… but this rage had to come out… it had to come out… And it did.

A soft, yet strong hand grabbed his shoulder and shook him gently. Without saying a thing the hand sat down next to him, followed by Rei's entire body.

"Takashi… Do you want to talk?" The girl spoke with damp eyes. The sight of people crying had always been her weakness.

"What's there to talk about?"He replied on a monotone tone. Not aggressive, nor happy. Just emotionless.

"About Senpai." Even at this point. Speaking that name made her eyes twitch. But it also made her feel sad. She and Saeko still had a bond. Whether it was a good one or not. A bond is a bond which can't simply be broken by a fight over love.

"Meh… she'll be all right." He was still as good as a liar as he had always been. Not that he liked doing it, but it gave him some well needed rest.

"*sigh…* Dad said we had to come down. And sleep in one of the stores. I mean… apartments. It's not safe up here he says. He even has a bigger one for the seven of us prepared. Will you join us now?" As she saw his wet eyes and shaking leg the answer was clear. But just going away would be rude. And it was this Takashi which she loved. The sensitive and caring one. Not the murdering and rampaging leader. Even though his bravery and confidence had a certain… charm. She sure as hell wasn't denying that.

"It's right across the first aid centre." When she had said this she stood up and wanted to walk away. Just when she had taken her first step she heard his voice.

"Rei…"

"Yes?" She eagerly replied.

"I'm sorry."

That were his last words for now and she knew it. However, what he said sorry for was something she didn't know. That he hadn't given her attention during high school? For his coldness? Or for his backstabbing with Saeko? Maybe none of these? Just more questions for her to think about. With everything that had been happening the last few days she had forgotten about the love drama she had landed in. But now that everything was… stable again. All these thought came back and smacked her twice as hard on the cheeks. Before she turned away and closed the door behind her she gave him one last stare.

Why couldn't they just be together?

"This is my bed!" Alice screamed with all her strength.

"Bu-bu-but… I wanted that one!"

"Oh shut it! You're not going to argue with that little girl are you?" Saya interrupted.

"But… look at it! It's so…"

"Shhh! That's your bed. Next to Takashi's. Sjees… can't you understand we girls need some privacy?"

"Sure! Takagi-san, your wi.."

"Saya."

"Sure! Saya-san, your wish is my…"

"Bah! You're impossible." She yelled at him before turning her back. However, not before a big grin was shown on her face. Whether he saw it or not… she felt like giving it. "Now all we need is some warmth…"

"I can ho…!"

"BAH!" She threw her pillow as hard as she cool at his face before he could even finish his sentence. "Gosh… Alice-chan… could you and Zeke keep him distracted whilst I arrange our… house?"

"Sure!"

The little girl and her pet dog went at it whilst Saya started to prepare the beds and clothing. If they were going to stay put… which they would have to for at least a few weeks. They'd better make it comfortable. She stared out the window, towards the darkened aid centre at the other side of the plaza. "You'll live right? I saw you hold on to my father's blade. There's no way y…"

"to whom are you talking?" A girl's voice interrupted.

"Ah Rei… you scared me. Could you not sneak up on me anymore?" She snarled at her whilst putting away her glasses.

"Hehe.. sure thing."

Even though they all tried to joke around a bit, that heavy burden which rested on their hearts and minds was taking its toll. And even if one of them managed to make the other's giggle, it also meant that they'd feel guilty.

"Where is Takashi?" The little girl suddenly asked. "And Shizuka? Is she coming here as well?"

"Takashi is… cleaning up our mess on the roof. It was stupid of us to even try and make our own little house and… and Shizuka is patching up senpai." Rei spoke softly, to comfort the girl. Whom had pinned Hirano to the ground with the aid of her dog.

"Will she be sleeping with us tonight?"

"Shizuka? Yes, I think she will."

"Will Seaeko be all right?"

"Sigh… y…"

"You ask too much!"Saya suddenly interfered.

"Sorry!"

No more words were spoken. At least not a useful word anymore. Rei helped Saya with the beds and the three girls changed clothes as soon as they had forced Hirano in the corner with his eyes against the wall. Nevertheless, he felt a Rambo when his mind imagined those two… beautiful girls getting it on with him. Rubbing their well formed fun bags against his manly chest whilst grinding their hips against hi… That fantasy however was short lived as he heard a scream that he should keep his face planted against the wall.

Meanwhile, at the –hospital-.

"Quick, take that scrap out."

"Roger."

"Good, please, hold open the wound."

"Hai."

"One more shot of…"

"Right."

After a few more minutes of operating the doctor stood back and took off his mask. He was rather old, fifty, maybe sixty. A bald head and a pair of tiny black glasses.

"Thanks for your assistance miss Shizuka." He spoke whilst he walked to the sink. He relieved himself of his gloves and washed his hands when he heard her footsteps coming towards him.

"Do you think she'll make it doctor?"

"*sigh…* She might. I mean… if we could transfer blood she'd make it for sure. But we lack the equipment to do so…"

"Is that a yes or a no? " She waited for him to be done, and then went to wash her own hands, face and neck as well.

"There's no definite answer. Her body is strong and in a very good shape. That'll surely help… but now it's up to herself. We'll have to see if her body can produce enough blood… and get her through this ordeal…" He walked towards the door whilst talking. "…alive. But the way it is now? Yes… yes I think she'll make it."

"Really?" She spoke cheerfully whilst she as well, made her way towards the door.

"Yes… yes."

"That's sooooo sweet! Thank. You saved us!"

"I couldn't ha…"

"You could. I was merely an aid. If you'd excuse me, I have to tell my group." She smiled at him with closed eyes and ran off. Leaving the man all alone in the door opening.

"Woman… even at my age I'll never understand them. Or maybe I do, they're not that complicated are they?" He closed the door and damped the light. "Officers, could you two keep an eye out for her? She needs to lay down for a while. I mean…"

"It's all right doctor." Sakaki bluntly replied. "I owe her my life. We'll be watching her, and call you if anything happens."

"Thanks… I'll go see my wife and children now. We're at…"

"I know where you sleep. Now go. Off with you." The cop grunted. He was tired, exhausted even. But he and Serena would stand guard. Well… most likely just he, since the woman seemed to have ascended towards dreamland.

"If she wakes up… keep her down. Or at least, support her and let her sleep with her friends. But for god's sake… don't let her do anything more than that. "

"Sure thing."

And with that said the doctor was gone, and situation critical was gone as well. All that remained was the boy on the roof.

It was getting dark now and the temperatures dropped. His breath became visible and his body tinkled.

All this time he had been blaming himself. And he would keep on doing so until he had apologized and screamed at Saeko. He figured that she hadn't listen to him and almost gave up her own life by doing so. Did he just think that to lighten his burden? Or did he mean it. A bit of both is the answer. He was pissed off at about everyone and everything. But mostly at himself and at her.

_It's about time to get down… Saeko-san. I miss you._

_That's that. The last chapters were rather serious… So the next one will be a bit more.. fun, and good stuff and all. And a little more fan service maybe… because I figure some of you might want that, and here I am… the poor man who has to oblige. And I find that OH so difficult to write those parts. I feel so dirty and all… y'know? _

_D'erm… herherm. Where was I? Oh okay._

_I_

_M thinking about working towards the end now. Bad news or good news? If I make this a LOT longer people might start to get bored and I don't want that. If that's not the cane, please tell me. _

_But I don't want to take the risk if I'm not sure. Besides, if you want more… which I doubt, but hey maybe I'm wrong… I can always write a part 2? The part after the mall._

_So uhm, thanks for reading you all! Next chapter might be on this weekend even. Otherwise somewhere in the next week! :D_

_Happy easter!_


	17. Lost her life

I tried to write this chapter in quick succession after the last one! If you read this within 3 days of act 16, then I succeeded. If not, then I failed.

If you're new to this story and it has already progressed. Just think that I succeeded, that'd be great. Thanks.

I do not own highschool of the dead, all rights belong to its original author and animators. All newly introduced character do belong to me.

Oh and if you didn't notice… last title, wasn't the same as the titles before that one! ( thumbs up for that confusing sentence… at least I confused myself.) That was my bad, I'll return to the fluency.

**Act 17: Lost her life.**

"I'm back, … we were better off without them. Would you look at this food…" Kohta complained whilst re-entering their new apartment. He carried with him two pots of cooked rice and something which resembled lettuce.

"What do you mean? Let me see that." Rei added. "Gosh… and it stinks as well… I was hoping for something more… glamorous? "

"I'm with you on that one." Saya spoke. "But we could've seen this coming. They need to feed all these people… it's hard enough as it is. And.." The girl suddenly stopped with speaking as they heard the door opening.

Takashi came walking in with Shizuka at his tail.

"Hey, sorry to keep you waiting. I needed to get some things straight." He spoke as oblivious as possible, trying to ignore the sight of two girl in their night outfit. Luckily for him, they couldn't see his red cheeks for the only light they had were two oil lanterns. What they could see however was his relieved facial expression. And of course, the glamorously smiling Shizuka right behind him.

"W… what are you two so happy about?"

"Dare you even ask? Haha. Tell them Shizuka-san." Takashi said whilst pointing at the blonde woman, whom in return bowed and raised her arms in the sky as if she were some sort of deity.

"Our dear Saeko –chan is stable again! At least, that's what the doctor said… more or less… kind of…" She shrugged and puffed, but kept on grinning. "At least she has a chance again."

Once these words were spoken all of them felt their worries fade away. Sure, they knew that the danger zone was still awfully present, and that they'd have to explain a lot, but that didn't matter at all at this point.

"That's awesome!" The glassed guy yelled, and in his happiness almost caused the glass canister of water to almost shatter on the ground. Saya was able to catch it in quick reflex and gave him the evil eye, followed by a smug.

"Shizuka-san, anything else to add to that?" The pink haired girl asked reluctantly whilst refitting her hair.

"Hmmm… no not really. The good doctor said he'd think she would make it. That's enough no?" Without clearing that up she grabbed one of the pajamas of the ground and started to undress.

"Hnnng…. Sh-Sh-Shizuka-san?" Takashi mumbled as he backed awayf slowly and immediately covered his eyes, albeit… not completely.

"Huh? Is something the matter?"

"D'oh… n-nothing. Nothing at all." Staring at the ground he joined Hirano and sat down next to him. Both of their faces resembled tomatoes at this point, much to the amusement of Alice and Zeke, and much to the hatred of Rei and Saya.

"perverts!" The girls yelled.

"Oioioi, we're not that one's who… Hngaaa Shizuka, what are you doing?" Takashi yelled. Followed by some squeals from Hirano as the blonde woman came sitting in between him and Saya. Not that he minded though. Her shirt which was, obviously, way too small clenched way to tightly to her body. Not even mentioning the fact that the boxer as well, were way too small.

"Shamelessly… shamelessly …yet awesome no?" Hirano whispered to Takashi whilst frowning his eyebrows.

"Y-y-yeah… don't look.." He commanded as he grabbed the guys head and turned it to the ground. "I'd like to live okay?" He did realize that this was what he always said. But hey… whomever would want a slap simply for staring at the wrong… things. Nobody no?

After a few more… un/pleasant innuendos they got to eating their meals and discussing a whole lot of different things. From controversies to plot holes. Really, if they didn't know better. It'd almost assemble a cozy sleep over.

"Meh… I never really liked that guy. All he did was play basketball all day and…"

"He's still the hero of that comic!"

"Was it a comic?"

"Yeah…"

"Huh?"

"What are you on about?"

"What am I on ab… I mean… what are you on about?"

"Basketball?"

"No."

"But…"

"Shhhhh already! You're driving me crazy. I'm trying to think." Saya furiously interrupted the two boys whom were discussing something from their past.

Meanwhile Rei and Shizuka were all too busy doing each other's hair. Because girls remain girls, and boys remain boys. It really doesn't matter all too much in what situation you're in.

"Get it!"

…

"Good boy!" The girl yelled whilst patting the dog. Even though it was actually risky, bringing that animal along, it still was a part of the group. Of course, it didn't add anything besides from the well needed innocence. But.. still. Once again I say, Ignorance is bliss.

"Takashi? Do you have a minute?" Kohta suddenly asked.

"Hm… sure. What's on your mind?"

"Not all too much but I… was wondering. You know… two things."

"Two things?"

"Yes. One is… don't you think we can fetch ourselves some nice… y'know… things? Food, clothes… equipment and all?"

"We have all we need no?" He knew that that was a lie. "what are you thinking off?"

"Well,… knifes, nails and all sorts of tools."

"Why? We have a little shack here. And I doubt we're going anywhere soon."

"I'm not talking about leaving. I'm talking about… upgrading."

"Upgrading?"

"Yeah! Make our own little hut a bit more. Pleasant! In times like this we should make ourselves as comfortable as we can, whenever we can."

"D'erm… I think it's the other way around. We can't let our guards down. But fine… we'll see if we can get some things tomorrow. And the second thing is? I think I already know though…"

"You do?"

"Yeah, it's about… y'know." He teased the glassed guy, because he obviously stared in the direction of Saya in the hopes of her noticing. Luckily for them, she was way to enraptured with her rice and rubric puzzle.

"D'erm… you know what. On second thought. Never mind." The boy replied on a sad tone.

"Hey come on. I'm just joking. The truth is… it's not as if Saya-san would talk to me about things like that."

"Hehe, yeah I guess you're right on that one. Forget I asked anything… time will have to tell." He shook his head and went back to the group, followed by Takashi. All of them had jumped into more comfortable clothes. Well at least… if by clothes you mean that the girls were only half dressed. Then yes, they all had slipped in more comfortable clothes. Takashi and Hirano themselves just put on a fresh T-shirt and some boxers, nothing special at least. The only real thing all them wanted at this point, granted they were ever going to have the luxury again, was a shower. A bath, or simply some warm water.

The sun had long since disappeared behind the destroyed scenery of the city and had made place for the dark night. The group of six had made sure to let Alice sleep in time and, with much struggling, she listened and laid down in her bed in the far corner of the room.

They had the favor of having an old storage room. Yet that also meant that it was completely dark and kinda… spooky. Nevertheless, it was one of the bigger rooms, and with all of them together the fear of ghosts and zombies was not even something to worry about. All boxes had been taken out and were gathered on the third storage and constantly guarded by two officers.

In total, the mall's guards counted about thirty officers. Survivors from a lot of different police departments had gathered and their personalities ranged from nice, neutral to pure assholes. Nevertheless, they made sure order was retained and safety was present. They also made sure that everything was equally shared and food rations were limited, but satisfying as well.

Sounds perfect no?

"What time is it?" Rei asked.

"*sigh* I don't know… I guess it's late. Should we go to sleep?" Takashi answered.

"Yeah, yeah I suppose that's a good idea. "

"Already?" The small girl suddenly spoke but as soon as the pink haired girl came crawling towards her she squealed and jumped for cover under her blankets again.

The four others merely giggled a bit before accepting , and surrendering, to their fatigue. Takashi and Kohta made their way to their side of the room were two large mattresses had been laid out for them. Whilst the girls had five, one of them remained unused for the time being.

"Good night you all… See you tomorrow."

"Good night."

"Sleep well."

"Uh-huh."

"Bye bye."

"Pff.."

Both of the groups took one of the lanterns and made sure that the light would be dim, but present. Once they laid down, not a single word was spoken anymore. They closed their eyes, and slept. Their bodies tinkled and relaxed. Finally, was it all over? Were they safe here?

Whilst they were sleeping, the room on the other side was, at this point, the most suspicious place for everyone in this mall. All of the survivors had seen the girl being carried behind that door. They had seen the doctors walk out but still… There was no way on earth that somebody would be able to survive with such an huge amount of blood loss.

Little did they know that there was one person in this mall whom had the strength to do so. But if she had the willpower left, was an entirely different matter. Outside, the two cops had lit their own little fire. Yes, it was dangerous to do so. But if they were to sit still the entire night they'd better have it comfortable.

"Why are we doing this Sakaki-san?"

"Because we are doing our duty."

"What duty?"

"*sigh*… never mind. You weren't there. You haven't seen that girl walk away. Every normal person… even me, would have shivered out of fear. But…"

"But?" The woman asked curiously when she heard him stop.

"But that girl didn't even do as much as blink. The boy… whom was with her today. You know, that crazy kid who ran off."

"Yeah, I remember him. Takashi was the name if I remember right."

"Yeah him. He was the only one she seemed to do it for. Call it dumb luck or whatever, … but without him. She wouldn't have done it."

"I doubt it Saki." Another voice suddenly spoke. It was Tadashi, whom was about to join his two trusted colleagues. "If a person is willing to give up her life for somebody else. She would've done it for anyone. I'm convinced about that. Especially someone belonging to the Busujima family."

"She's a busujima?" The woman asked, once again curiously.

Both of the men nodded and quiet overtook them now. "Serena, Saki. Please, get yourselves some rest. I'll take it over. You two have been at it for way too long now."

"Haha, no worries. We'll keep you company you big ol' fool." The woman added. Followed by a grunt of Sakaki. No matter what Tadashi would do. These two would follow him. Even on the path to evil.

* Meanwhile, somewhere in the ruined city.*

"Spit it out you sorry excuse of a man. Who are you?" The man with the bandana yelled at the suited and glassed guy whom laid defeated on the ground in front of him.

"I'm… I'm… *cough.* "

"Spit it out or I'll beat you up again!"

"My name is… Shido. Koichi Shido sir."

"Wait… I know you… You deserve to be dead."

When the downed man heard the doubt in the attackers voice he used the power he used best. Manipulation. Whatever was said between these two man would never be known, but it ended with this: "The mall, is where we will be safe. With my followers and yours.. we'll make it there without doubt."

* Back in the mall.*

"bah… I can't sleep." Takashi sat up and threw the blankets of him. He was sweating a bit under the double linen blankets. "I'm not even tired. " He stood up, grabbed the lantern and made his way to the door, just to stare out of the window. Through the dark glass, he saw the fire on the other side. He saw three figures standing next to it.

"That's where you are now? Is it?" He asked himself. " I'd come to see and feel you. But I can't… not now. They wouldn't let me… actually, I think they would. Now if I can just be sile…"

"Are you talking to yourself again?" A girl's voice spoke, and scared the living hell out of him.

"What the hell… Rei? Erm.. it's not what you think. I always do that when I have to d'erm… use the bathroom."

"Uhuh… and that's why your head is all red and your voice all cranky?" She spoke with one hand on her hip and the other teasing him by poking him on his nose. She joined him, stood next to him and stared out of the window. "She'll be all right. Shizuka-san was way too happy for it to be a lie. Have you seen her already?"

He was surprised that she actually seemed worried about her. In fact, it made him smile. "No.. I haven't. Actually… I was about to try. But I doubt the dear officers would let me this late."

"You won't know if you don't try. Would you mind if I… joined you? I want to talk with my dad."

"No, of course not. Is something bothering you?"

"Not really…" She lied. " It's just that he won't tell me where my mother is. I think that means that she's… you know." She sniffed a bit when speaking these words. "One of them."

"You shouldn't say that if you don't know it. Your mother has always been strong. If anyone would survive, it'd be she. Now come… let us not get all sad."

He did not wait for her to respond, but instead opened the door quietly. The two of them walked out of their apartment but almost immediately stopped when they saw two other figures walking towards the officers. They heard voices, but they were too far away to be understood. Of course, they wouldn't have hidden if it were normal figures. But these two, big men, seemed nothing but normal. They didn't know why but something smelled fishy.

They were proved right as they heard the voices getting harder and harder. This went on for about two minutes, and then the two shadows moved away again. Whatever had happened, caused a lot of controversy amongst the three three remaining officers, for they kept on talking about something which they weren't happy with.

"Uhm.. Rei, I think it's best if w.."

"Get back inside? Yes. I agree." Without thinking about it she grabbed his hand and softly pulled him back towards the door. They didn't have to be sneaky like this, for the cops could obviously not see them all the way back here, but safety comes first.

When he felt her hand on his' he had a sudden flood wave of memories. And as fast as they had come they were gone again as well. He shook his head and blinked, before he followed the girl.

Once they had closed the door behind them they gave the three shades one more glimpse before sighing and sitting down on the little chairs they had gotten themselves before. Really, the best thing would have been to go to bed. But Takshi couldn't sleep and Rei simply didn't feel like it anymore.

"What was that?" She asked.

"How am I supposed to know?"

"I don't know… you don't have to be so grumpy about it."

"Sorry… I'm just tired that's all. "He said as he rubbed his eyes to make his lie more realistic.

"Do you think that it could be about.. you know. Senpai?"

"Why would it be about her? I see no p…" As he spoke these words he realized all too well that Rei could have just hit the nail on its head.

"Because of h.."

"Yes! You're right!" He suddenly yelled, a bit too hard. They heard some grumbling coming from the beds, but none of them seemed to have been awoken.

"Shhh, keep it down." Rei whispered. She stood up and sat next to him. "Now, you won't have to talk that hard."

"Yes… thank you. I think I'm going to see if that's what it was about."

"That's not really smart. You can still hear their voices can you? If you'd go there you might only anger them."

"It's not as if they'd harm me or anything. Besides… I haven't even seen Saeko-san since she got back."

"She's only back for a few hours now though."

"ten hours… maybe around twelve. I don't know…" He found himself closing his eyes and repressing some sort of emotional outburst when he thought about her again. Not crying or anything… just …something. He couldn't exactly place his thumb on it. "Sigh… But you're right I guess. Maybe I should just get some sleep now. We've been really at it the last few days and this might be the last time we can sleep like this."

"I think we're rather safe here. The police forces are on guard, we have food, water and god knows what else."

"We had that at the Takagi manor as well. Don't get lax." He said strictly before he stood up. She didn't answer him but instead kept staring at the lantern in front of them. "Rei, …" He placed his hands on her shoulder and shook her a little. Not to get her attention but just to comfort her. "Just enjoy it as long as you can. We all will. But please… don't get used to it."

"Takashi… It's just that.."

"Shh shhh, please. Just… okay?" He knew that what he did wasn't really fair. He played with her feelings and he would regret it a few minutes in the future. But for now it was all he could come up with. When she saw him smile at her she stood up as well, causing them to stand dangerously close to each other.

"You're right. We fell for this before… I don't want a carnage like the Takagi manor, or our school again. But I´ll have to be prepared. But… So do you. Are you sure you can…` She stopped talking, for she didn´t want to start a row again. Instead kissed him on the cheek and walked off towards her bed and went to sleep again. All the while Takashi took over Rei´s job with staring at the lantern. Yet after a while, he as well, made his way towards his bed and laid down again.

Then, after a bit. The voices in the background disappeared, his mind went numb and his body relaxed. Breathing calmly and thinking about nothing.

He was asleep.

In the room across the six young ones, the sleep felt completely different though. Whilst she had been cleaned and redressed, by Shizuka I might add, a strange scent still flew along with the air. It didn´t stink, nor was it enjoyable. Maybe it wasn´t even there. Maybe it was only the tense atmosphere of stress and guilt. Happiness or regret, courage or cowardice.

However,

Though she appeared to be fast asleep and didn´t hear the row just outside the door. She did seem to be conscious. The shadow in her room felt strange. As if something was present with her. Of course, that was all just a dirty trick of her mind but it was… peculiar. To put it lightly.

Her eyes were closed but she saw. He ears were numb but she heard. But not what she wanted to hear or see. For her it sounded like a broken radio, with a vague line about every ten seconds. And it looked like a desolated landscape with absolutely nothing to decorate the horizon. The longer her body tried to adapt to this, the more high pitched it got. This went on, all the way up until the point where she only heard a high peeping noise. It hurt her ears, it hurt her entire body. Was that the sound of resurrecting?

Whatever it was, it seemed to serve some purpose. All of the sudden her eyes flew open and a big shockwave of energy flew through her nervous system and activated her body. Her muscles tensed and in the shock she sat up. Breathing heavily and her clothes clamping to her sweating body she panted heavily and clenched her heart, immediately realizing how weak her body was she tried to calm down.

Controlling her breathing pace was her main goal, then try to move her body parts, and only then would she try to survey her current location.

_This is insane… I can't get a grip on my own limbs. My legs… my arms._

No matter how hard she'd try to get the warmth back. Her very body refused to do as she told it to. She looked around, trying to get a hold on something. She fiddled the darkness in vain and was only greeted with disappointment by that fact that she was unable to do anything.

She kept on staring at the darkness. After no less than an hour she felt some feeling coming back under her command. As she felt what little remaining blood she had running through her veins she saw herself being able to move her leg. Then her arms, neck, eye lids, lips and eventually even her toes.

" W-… what is this. I'm… I'm… a-live…?" She giggled very briefly before she felt a soft itch coming up her throat. " *coughs*" But instead of disappearing, it became worse. Her coughing hurt and she felt herself being unable to inhale enough breath. Because of the darkness she couldn't see whether her eyes functioned properly or not, nor could she smell anything at this point. However, her coughs didn't go unnoticed. The cracking door opened and the dim light of fire replaced the darkness. Out of that fire came the shades. Hostile or not, she didn't know what to do. Nor could she do anything. She heard some voices… but no words. She felt their presence, but no hope. Whatever they'd do to her… she'd find out later. Luckily for her, the shapes were far from hostile.

" For the love of… give her some water?" Serena yelled. But without purpose, for Tadashi had already grabbed his field flask and placed it on the girls mouth in the hopes of making the hostile cough stop. But of course, her being unable to drink, their effort was in vain. They pushed her back on her back whilst ordering to get the doctor.

Whatever happened after that would be black for her. All she knew was that she had made it.

just as planned.

" Oi oi, Takashi. Oioioi, wake up." Kohta yawned out whilst violently shaking his friend.

" Hnnng…. Brbbprl."

" Oi! Wake up!" The guy sighed and gave up when he had failed to wake him. Now it was only him, Saya, Rei and Shizuka whom were awake. He stood up and rubbed the sleep from his eyes, put on his glasses and went for his glass of water. He sat down and took a good look at his clothing. " They are… clean? What?"

Before he could think about it he was already put back into place. " Of course they're t clean dumbass. They're brand new. This mall sold school uniforms as well… Jees."

" S-saya. " His head turned red and steam came out of his noise. Why? Basically because he had just gotten the honor of seeing her naked back. She as well, had gotten herself a new uniform and was putting it on. It was almost the same as the one she had always worn, besides the fact that the skirt had been replaced by a pair of hot pants. And Kohta was all too pleased with their… tightness.

" Bah! Look the other way!"

" YES!" In a flurry of movement he had turned himself around and started grinning vigorously. And just when he had almost regained consciousness a running woman came running right into him.

" Hmpfblubrgh whutt?" Was all he said whilst being knocked to the ground. As he fell something laying on top of him, in a reflex, he tried to feel what it was. Obviously, at this point he didn't know what it was, nor did he hear the noises that came from the slender body. " is this… it's soft. Skin? … Skin?"

' Ah.. uhm, sorry!" The blonde woman excused herself and moved her upper body up, still blatantly sitting on top of him, when all of the sudden her arm was grabbed by another girl, and then a happy yell.

" Haha! I got it!" Rei suddenly screamed whilst holding the white piece of clothing in the air as if she had triumphed in a war.

" D' uh… hey!" The blonde suddenly yelled whilst placing her hand on her hips and pointing her tongue. ' Not fair!"

" You took it from me in the first place! And … Uhm.. Kohta? Hello?" She blinked her eyes a couple of times when she saw the pale, and nose bleeding young boy laying underneath the well built nurse. " Hmm, what's gotten into him?" She shrugged as she covered her well formed flesh underneath the white uniform top.

" Kohta? Did I do that?" The blonde yelled in panic. " Hirano?'

" Hehehe, n-n-n-n-oooo. It's… Quite all right." The boy stuttered out, and only stood up when the woman had finally stopped showing off her modeling body in front of his face. He climbed back on his feet and strolled towards Takashi again. With a big fat smile and tears of joy on his face he went to awakening him once more.

A subtle fifteen minutes later they all sat around a white plastic table and stared at their breakfast. Lettuce…. Lettuce with a hump of bread. Well, it was better than nothing they figured.

They had all redressed, for their old clothes had simply given up. Both Takashi and Kohta had the luck of having a uniform in exactly their size. Rei and Saya had their school uniforms as well. Rei the complete set, and Saya the complete set with that one small addition. Alice had gotten herself some jeans and a shirt with, very fittingly, a baseball bat on it. Shizuka had gotten herself a big red pull over which, even though its size, still clung to her body.

You'd think that in a mall like this, they would have a free choice in clothes? Well, that's falsely thought, for even the clothes had been laid apart by the officers. The six of them were amazed by the fact that these people had managed to literally, clear almost an entire mall within a day. No really… how did they do that?

" Well… let's just eat and see what the day brings us?" Saya began.

" Y-eah.." most of them replied.

They all wanted to talk, but due to the fact was that this food was… terrible, they didn't. Maybe they had gotten used to the barbeque? Or simply hadn't forgotten about their old lifestyle yet. Nevertheless… this bread was hard as brick and the green hump of, what was supposed to be lettuce, had different colors than only green.

" I don't think this is… edible? Is it?" Takashi spoke as he played with his glass of water.

" Just eat already…"

" No. really… I don't think is edible. Do you think it's edible?"

" Edible?" Kohta replied.

" Yeah. It doesn't look edible."

" Well edible is when… it tastes edible."

" Hmm… yeah I'd like something edible."

" OH WOULD YOU TWO STOP IT ALREADY?" The pink haired girl suddenly yelled, and threw her very own lettuce towards the two. It was good for some laughter, and it made sure they all ate their meals. However, you'd think that since they had cleared the mall they would get some special treatment. But no, everyone was being treated equal. A bit too much even. Not even water was free anymore.

" So what now? Are we just going to repeat this day after day?" Rei asked. She hoped for an adventurous answer. For she just wanted to get away from here. Take her dad and friends with her. Search her mother, search for her friends' families. And then live happily all together outside of the city. That was her dream at this point.

" Well.. I think, before we decide on anything else, that we're going to have to wait For S…"

*knock knock.* " Sweetie, open the door would you?" Tadashi's voice yelled. Rei blushed a bit at her father's language, but was happy enough that he was here. She walked to the door, which was just out of sight of their table. When Takashi watched her walking off he couldn't help but laugh a bit. No matter how tough she'd try to be, she'd always be that little girl he had known from the kindergarten. He heard some voices, yet frankly they were too soft to be understandable. He figured he heard another… somewhat different girly voice. One he had gotten to love. But after shaking his head he threw away that fantasy. He grabbed his last bit of bread and put it in between his teeth. It was weird, this wasn't the first time he had eaten old wheat. But this was… really gross. It was rock hard and it tasted like sand, some of the seeds were stuck in his teeth and when he finally swallowed the clump he closed his eyes and grunted out of disgust. He looked up and saw that the rest, minus the dog, had it equally difficult. He looked to his left and heard the door close. He wondered what it was about. He wanted to think it was bout Saeko… but he knew all too well that he was…. That he was… was… right?

He heard some feminine moaning and grunting before the footsteps came. At first he saw Rei's shoe coming from around the corner. Then her other shoe, which was very normal, but then… a third foot? It was a naked foot, covered with nothing more but a sandal. But… a third foot? He opened his eyes and dropped the lettuce. The next few seconds passed so slowly, and yet so fast. As soon as he saw Rei's body around the corner he saw the pale arm hanging over her neck. And left of the red haired girl, he saw his beautiful beast. Mind you, he liked the sight of Rei helping her as well. But that feeling was completely overshadowed by the sight of blue eyes and indigo hair.

The entire group stared, as they were blown off the ground by this appearance. None of them had expected this. Though she was far from healed, she appeared to walk again. They all stood up, some faster than others, and some clumsier than others. But they all were elated beyond words.

" Saeko…!" Takashi whispered to himself.

" Busujima Saeko? You should be in bed!" Shizuka immediately yelled as she ran off towards the girl, however Takashi seemed to have had that idea a lot sooner. The guy jumped up, almost bumping over the table, and within four big steps he stood before the two girls. He didn't even see Rei's annoyed face. Now that she had finally begun with calming down again, she had to carry her? _Ugh what am I bickering about? It's good to have you back senpai… Really.. good._

For Takashi however, everything turned black and invisible, except Saeko. He simply stood in front of her, staring in her eyes, waiting for something to happen. He saw her , obviously, staring at him as well. And the thunderclap between their lines of sight confirmed it once again. In a quick movement he grabbed her free hand, not noticing the cold. No, he only felt the warmth and the soft skin.

He only came back to reality when she said a word. Well, more a sentence actually, but it sounded soft and t' was simply not understandable. Nevertheless, he took her over From Rei and simply held her in his arms. He felt that her legs could not yet support her body so she leaned against him completely. He didn't mind. He didn't mind at all. He placed his hand on her back, and with the other one had simply tried to feel and bursh her hair. Not for too long however, as a coughing and annoyed Shizuka disrupted him.

" Bring her too bed already!"

" d' awww… yeah sure." He carried her along with Rei now, and laid her down on the unused bed. Most of the group had remained at the table for they knew they'd only stand in the way.

When he had softly laid her head on the pillow he kept his hand there for a second. He bended over her without knowing it and was once again pushed aside by Shizuka Mirakuwa.

" Takashi, I understand your happiness! I am as well! But this is plain dangerous! ." She immediately went to her business again without paying any attention to the others.

They all gathered behind her and stared. First at Saeko, whom had fallen back asleep, then at each other. They were all smiling, except for one.

" Rei… what's wrong?" Saya asked.

" I'm afraid I have some bad news…" When she said this they all looked up in surprise and anguish. Was this jealousy?

No, it was worse. This time something was really bothering her.

" Rei, what is it?" Takashi asked a little more direct.

" They are searching for her." She said, and fell silent after that. Everyone wanted to ask the question: Who? But none did so. They saw her eyes darkening of both fear and anger.

" They'll be coming soon.. They think she's one of them and lost her life."

_That wraps things up. This chapter? It… well, barely progresses the story once again! But believe it or not. I had fun with writing this. I really had! In fact, this has to be my favorite chapter, besides act 1. Not because it's so good or anything but… I don't know. But I just had a whole lot of fun with it! ,_

_Next chapter the plot will thicken and it' ll be the last major event. Then I'll think about carrying on with the part –after- the mall. So far a lot of you have been encouraging me to do so and I'm grateful. In fact, I think I might continue with my original plan for this fanfic. _

_Original plan?_

_Yes! At first I never wanted to go to the mall. That was before I ever wrote anything down. I wanted them to get their families and friends and stuff. And then get the HELL out of the city. Because… y' know. That's the safest place? Please tell me if you like the idea. Or you want me to move on to the suburbs. Sea/ Forests? Whatever. I won't promise I'll directly use your idea ( Shit I sound like a dick now.) But It' ll help me coordinate._

_However! This part 1 is far from done. I added Shido, because… HOTD is not the same without that awesome bastard. And of course, he' ll bring the drama with him. A communistic mall run by the police is the goal. _

_Yours sincerely,_

_Yamucha-san._

_(P.S. I made my goal! I had a three day weekend! ( yes, that is no joke.) So I wrote this chapter within the weekend! Haha, and now I' ll see that you all hated it because I didn't took my damned time. X)) _


	18. One in this life

_Right… I nothing to say beforehand this time? Besides the fact That I really loved all your ongoing support when I uploaded the last chapter. From reviews to personal messages. It's all appreciated. Just know that I can't respond to you when you don't have that option enabled. _

_Also I'd like to thank the guy who pointed me at using –no- in a strange way. I'll try to get it right from now on! Thanks!_

_I do not own highschool of the dead, all rights belong to its original author and animators. All newly added characters are mine however. _

_**Act 18: One in this life.**_

"What do you mean… they are searching for her?" Saya asked without thinking it over. "They aren't in here are they?"

"Yeah, what do you mean Rei?" Kohta asked as well. When they looked at Takashi they realized that he already knew. And before Rei began to explain, they as well, started to get the clue.

"Father said that… *sigh* Don't get mad at me okay?" She added just to be sure. They all nodded and sat down. At first down on the ground, but when the angry blonde sent them away they simply sat at their dining table. Takashi closed the door and they lit the lantern. The group only realized just now how annoying this darkness would get over time.

"He said that, ever since Senpai has made it back, the higher ups had been getting complaints about worrying survivors. About… that she might be… you know? Bitten."

"What, are you serious? They saw her right… they saw that she wasn't bitten. Right… anyone?" Kohta tried to reassure himself and his friends, but to no avail.

"What they saw… Kohta."Takashi began. "What they saw was a battered person. They saw bloodied clothing, lifeless eyes and the scent of them…"

"Yes but… they can't all be stupid enough to…"

"Maybe we shouldn't worry too much should we?" Saya interrupted. "what I mean to say is that chances are nigh that they will actually come in here, kill Saeko, and live happily all after."

"No… the chance is not big. And the longer this will go… unspoken off. The less worried they will be, I mean… seeing that they as well have survived this shit storm, they should at least know that turning into one of them doesn't take that much time. Especially not if one were to be in Saeko-san's condition. " Takashi continued. He thought that with this they had decided that the danger had already passed before it had started, that was up until the point where Rei added more fuel to the fire.

"There's more however… They want to see her in person, in a few hours. And…"

"What.. why?" The little girl Alice asked.

"…" They all stared at her. Some with a smile, others with a face palm in mind.

"Alice-chan?" Saya asked with a smug.

"Hmm?"

"Have you been paying any attention at all?"

"Yep!"

"Good… then you might know that w…"

"Saya, just ignore it." Rei said to aid her. "Alice… Shizuka needs your help. Could you please…"

"She does not. I know what you are talking about!"

They all sighed and figured to forget about it.

"who will come?" Takashi asked.

"I don't know… Probably the highest ranked officer present with his honor guard." Rei asked.

"Honor guard?"

"Yes… "

"I see. Well… it's nothing to worry about is it? They'll see that she is okay, let the others know, and then we're finally able to completely rest for a bit."

"I hope so." Rei spoke. It was strange, for at this point she was the only one whom was actually grumpy and sad. Why? She just had a strange feeling tickling her tummy. A strange feeling of approaching disaster. This was also why she was the only one who remained seated when the rest tried to do something about this darkness.

"We should try to get some more of these lamps…" Kohta added.

"You don't say. Come, let's get to it." Saya bluntly spoke. And without anything else, the two walked off to see if they could fix it. It actually surprised Takashi to see this. I mean… he knew that they didn't hate each other. In fact, he knew all too well how Kohta felt about her. But the other way around? He had no clue. She was literally just as bitchy against him, as she was towards Hirano. Come to think of it. He really had never seen her in love before. Well sure, there were those youth loves, but they didn't count in his opinion. At least not her ground school lovers. His very own youth love had at this point fallen to the background for a newly kindled flame. If that would remain like that, or whether the old one would consume the new one was something he had to find out himself. He would have to choose his own destiny, and that of the two girls.

He looked at Rei, whom had grabbed Saya's puzzle from her bed and started fiddling with it. Probably to get her mind of things. She had her tongue between her lips, which caused for quite the cute sight actually. Yet of course, like most of us, she had little to no clue of how to solve those cursed rubrics.

Then his gaze went from Rei towards Saeko. Though Shizuka was all over her, he could still imagine her entire body. She wasn't wearing any fancy clothes at this point. Just some big training trousers and a way to big black jacket, very much like the one he was wearing. Only a little bit more… well… girly like. The way she simply lay there… Doing nothing actually, was rather strange in his eyes. She had her mouth opened a bit, like she always had when she was sleeping. And just like with Rei… it totally ruined her normal tough girl attitude, and replaced it with an innocent and cute kind of look. He didn't really know, nor care, what Shizuka was doing with her. No injections, no medication, just plain medical skills like pressure points? He really had no clue, and grunted at his dumbness. If only he had followed his biology classes more regularly, then he might know SOMETHING about it. He was shaken awake by Alice after a while though, which was actually a pleasant change. He was in need of some fresh and infantile remarks. And his will got obeyed.

"Takashi… I have to go."

"Hmm? Where to?"

"To the little girls room… But I don't know where it is… and with all these people I can hardly.. you know.."

He smiled and put his hand on her hand. "This time, not on my clothes please." He saw her twirling her lips and moving her eyes away from him.

"never… bring that up again." She spoke with the heaviest voice possible. Takashi's eyes opened widely and he had to let those words sink a bit before realizing he was holding back some laughter.

"Hehe.. he… yeah no problem. It'll be our secret." He spoke quietly in her ear. "Now come, let's find the … little girls room. "

"Yay! Thanks!"She happily replied and already made her way to the door.

"Rei, Shizuka-san. We'll be right back, okay?... Saeko-san."

The nurse didn't respond for she was occupied completely. And the red head looked at him for a minute and smiled. "Yeah sure, no problem."

"If those… inspectors… come. Don't worry okay? It should all be okay."

He walked towards the door and went outside. He was surprised by the amount the mall had changed ever since he had returned. He hadn't had the time to observe the marvels of mankind yet, for the last days had been… quite horrifying mostly.

He looked around and quite literally saw at the very least a hundred of people running about. Some cleaning, some sitting and crying. Others were running, screaming or laughing. Really, it all appeared like a small little countryside village for him. Before he closed the door he looked back and saw Rei nodding.

At this part he really had no idea of what was to come. As far as Takashi was concerned, those inspectors were fair policemen who would see the truth and spread the good news. He and Alice made their way to the arrangement stand near the entrance.  
>"Come Alice, we'll ask where the toilets are over there."<p>

"Okay!"

He looked at the girl, whom was kinda shocked by the sudden change of atmosphere. Less than one and a half day they had been here with just the six of them. And now… so many people were busy doing their thing. Voices came from upstairs, as well as some from the third storey. The main floor was most likely serving its purpose as a gathering point, for only a few groups of people were present.

When they passed of group of three adolescents they heard all too well how scared everyone was. Not because of Saeko directly, but more of the situation they were in. And of course… that wasn't that strange. What was vague for Takashi however, was that it appeared that he was being blamed. The group of three stopped talking and simply gazed over at him and the girl. Neither parties said something or made accusations… but it confused the young leader. This time he'd let it pass as he and the girl had as good as arrived at the –helpdesk-.

"Excuse me sir, could you tell us where the erm… toilets are?" He asked when some grumbling and moaning came from behind the desk. One of the officers appeared with a huge carbon box in his hand, dropped it on the table, scoured it, and only then answered his question.

"Oh it's you… the kid from before. UHm, basically every former store should have one for its staff. Try an uninhabited one and you should be fine." And without saying another thing he continued with doing whatever he was doing.

"Thanks."

He grabbed Alice's hand and, rather quickly, made his way towards the second floor. He realized that he recognized theofficer as well, he was the one whom had shot at Saeko before. Even though he did his job and hadn't done anything wrong. Takashi couldn't bare seeing him, and thus made his way away from him as fast as possible. The officer most likely didn't mind either, for he had built up quite a grudge against that boy as well.

The escalators were, obviously, not working and crowded with people.

"Sigh… this will take a while. This place is crowded…"

"Are you whispering to yourself again? I'm right here.." The girl spoke annoyed.

"Hehe, hey you're right. Sorry… it's just that I have to use the bathroom as well… "

"All the more reason for us to hurry!" She yelled happily at him whilst trying hard to keep herself from releasing it.

"Yeah! You're right! Come, let us do this thing!"

Both of them took a hero pose, sighed, puffed, and want on walking through the crowds. _I already miss the silence…_

Meanwhile, Saya and Kohta were trying their best to get some more lanterns for the storage department on the third floor.

"What do you mean with no? We have the darkest apartment out of everyone, we at least deserve some more light.."

"Sorry young lady, but we're under strict orders, not to give anything away. No matter how unfair it might look.

"Well, where are your superiors? I think we should ask it them personally then."

"You're not going to see him, he's tending to a new group of survivors and doesn't have time for the problems of a bunch of teenagers."

"A bunch of… there's no reason to look down on us mister!"

All the while Kohta simply listened. He liked listening to her. Really, if he didn't know better it would seem as if he even liked her somewhat… smartass attitude. Then again… she was right most of the times, so she was entitled to do so.

"Look, girl. You're not getting any. We're trying to make this place a home for everyone, so we can't just go around and start treating everyone whom asks for more. Now back off, there are more people with questions…"

Seeing that she had lost… she sighed and walked off. "Come.. Kohta-kun. We're going to see if there are some… better ways of fixing ourselves what we need."

"Saya-san, what do you mean?"He asked surprised as he hobbled after the girl.

"Ask around… otherwise we'll check the basement again. I'm sure there's nobody there so we should be fine."

"But what if the officers see us?"

"Then…" Though she knew there wouldn't be too many consequences, it was still something they would rather want to avoid. "Then we'll pretend we're couple." She spoke lighting fast, in the hopes of him not hearing it. Though a small part of her mind liked saying it.

"What did you just say?" He asked with a grin, before realizing he shouldn't push his luck.

"Nothing important! But let's ask around first.'

"Right!" he yelled. Her remark from before, even though he figured she didn't mean it, still raised his mood a good deal. However… as if life really was taking a piss on him, his good mood was short lived, as a couple of about their age came walking towards them. Before bumping into them they had already guessed, from their staring eyes, that they'd get some remarks but walking back would be the same as admitting defeat.

"Oi, aren't you two friends with that kid?" The boy asked. Now that Saya and Kohta gave him a look they could already see that he wasn't the most clever person on earth, but at least he could form correct sentences.

"What kid? You think he means Alice?" She answered whilst rolling her eyes at Kohta.

"I don't know who that is… but I mean the guy whom brought that zombie in?"

"Kumoro?"

"Is that the guy?"

"Yes."

"Yeah, tell me. Are you his friends?" All the while he was raging, his so called girlfriend stared at the ground. She appeared to be ashamed of him but didn't do a thing to stop him. Kohta and Saya both figured that if they had been in a relationship before Z-day, he would probably have been a whole lot nicer. Yet people tend to cling to anything which is familiar in times like this, hence she stayed with him and nodded from time to time.

"We are. Is there a problem with that?" The pink haired girl spoke proudly with her hands on her hips and a straight back. She was almost a head smaller than the guy but that didn't affect her attitude at all. In fact, it was the guy whom staggered for a bit before regaining his composure.

"You do realize that the thing you brought in was obviously infected?" He smiled whilst shrugging.

"That thing… is our friend. And she's far from turning into one of them. She just happens…"

Before she could finish her sentence the girl had grabbed her boyfriends' arms and asked him to stop. Not because she cared about Saeko, Kohta or Saya, but because she was ashamed and afraid.

"Come on Natsu, you're not gaining anything with this." She spoke as she pulled his arm. For a moment he seemed to give in, until he violently pulled his arm back and spit on the ground.

"I don't need you to tell me what to do. I make the rules remember?"

"I know I know… just leave them alone."

"You're going too far girl, you'd better stop talking now or…'

Kohta and Saya saw their chance and walked on. As affected as the guy was he didn't even realize they walked away, for he had already found his new victim to release his sorrow upon. It was sad really… Kohta and Saya had, by now, seen enough crazy people. But this small incident felt more personal than ever. Not because it hurt or scared them. But because it came so close and that even now, in relative peace, people were still becoming… savages. Though the millions of turned beasts out there couldn't help being mindless… the ones in this mall sure could.

"What was that all about? Are we hated now?"Kohta remarked.

"I guess we could have seen it coming. Come, let us find some light and get back. I don't want any more of these…"

"Yes, let's go." He interrupted. However, for a time she didn't mind. Her intelligent head was already thinking about all the possibilities that could go wrong.

"Let's get to the basement already. I don't think anyone will be willing to help us." Saya claimed.

"It can't be that bad can it?"

"Maybe not… but people are not themselves anymore. Neither are we. It's better not to provoke anyone."

Kohta looked at the ground, and then at the girl. He grinned a bit when he saw her thinking face. In fact, Hirano thought he saw her looking away from him as soon as his eyes met hers'. Could it be? No… he must have been wrong.

They made their way towards the escalators and greeted Takashi and Alice, whom seemed to be in a hurry to get to the toilets. It was good enough for a smile, but nevertheless their roads separated again.

-Back in their apartment. -

'Rei, are you okay?" Shizuka asked as she sat down on the chair next to her.

"…"

"Hello?" The woman poked the girl and in a glimpse she woke up with a soft squeal.

"Oh… yes.. yes I'm fine. Forgive me, I was absorbed in thoughts. That's all."

"Which thoughts?"

"About a lot of things."

"You can tell me."

"I know… and thanks, but I don't feel like it."

"If you never speak up, nasty things may happen." The blonde insisted. She saw the red head staring at the ground and her fingers playing with the rubric. She had long since stopped with trying to solve it and was now just twisting it out of habit.

"It's about… you know. Teenager problems."

"About Takashi and you?"

"N-n … yes. Yes, partly." It's not as if she wanted to talk about it. But t'was also hardly an option to turn down miss Shizuka when she offered her her help.

"Do you think you're losing him?"

"I don't think it. I know it…" She heard the woman giggle and almost felt offended if it wasn't for the fact that Shizuka laid her hand on her shoulder.

"Rei-chan, Love isn't something you can steer. All of us know about you and Takashi and also about Saeko-chan and Takashi-kun. If you really want to get him back look for something in yourself. Not in Takashi or Saeko."

She needed a few minutes to let these words come through to her. Was it her own fault that she was losing him? She hadn't done anything wrong had she? Or… No. At this point she really couldn't see any flaws in herself. Sure, she knew about her Hisashi references… but that was in the past was it? She had already stopped that… No, it really was Saeko's fault wasn't it? Well… whomever's fault it was. Destiny would have to tell.

"Shizuka… I don't know. I have been blaming Senpai for all this time… And Takashi as well. I've already thought about blaming myself. Maybe I should just… give up."

"Girl… never give up on something you want." When she spoke these words she saw Rei's eyes opening widely and knew that her words had come through. Shizuka knew that this might cause trouble later on but she didn't want to see Rei sad all the time, that wasn't fair either. "At any rate. I'm going to see the doctor and see if I can get some medicines, just in case. Do you think you'll be all right here?"

Rei didn't immediately answer, but finally nodded. "Y-yeah, sure. Thanks."

"You're welcome Rei We're all friends. " Were her last words before she stood up and walked towards the door. Rei watched her walking away and smiled at her newfound confidence. Takashi was all she wanted before she could comfortably get used to this new world. She would have her Father, her boyfriend and her mo… Her mother. She had completely forgotten about her, and immediately turned sad again. Luckily she heard some coughing and movement coming from the bed. Then some moans, and maybe even a soft complaining voice.

Rei looked at the bed, and yes indeed. The girl was moving, trying something, talking a bit. Should she help? Of course she should…

"Senpai… Are you okay?' She asked with a bit of regret. There wasn't an immediate respond, only silence in return.

"N-no… I'm… I'm fine." She said as she, after a lot of difficult, finally sat up.

"Who are you trying to fool? You should lay down and get some more sleep." She spoke, and she was probably right.

"I've been .. sleeping, f-for way too.. long. I need some m-movement."

"Tsk… you can't even talk properly yet. Do you want to get yourself to die?" She spoke with an underlined aggression.

"I'm f-fine…" The other girl replied, with an annoyed voice as well.

"Sigh… here, at least let me help you." Rei stood up and stood in front of the indigo haired girl. As she looked down at her she figured how weak she looked at this point. Her eyes half closed and her skin… white. Really, in this darkness it was simply white. Still breathing heavily and shivering slightly…

"Senpai, … you look terrible." Before she could answer Rei sat down on her knees and forced a smile. 'Come, lay down. You're making it hard for yourself." She wanted to help her down but as soon as she touched her shoulder Saeko's body tensed and coughed out some pain. Rei pulled back and apologized, it really hadn't been her intention this time… yet she still hurt her. Luckily, she heard a soft giggle.

"D-don't worry. It's n-nothing."

Rei smiled back and nodded. " I'll get you something to drink… and something to chew on. I'll be right b…"

-*knock* knock*-

_Oh shit… I completely forgot about that. Please… let it be one of ours._

"Senpai… A few men might come to check on you, don't panic okay?"

"He…he. Don't worry… I'm used to it.'

"Good.."

Rei made her way towards the door and inhaled deeply before opening the door. She heard another knock and reached for the door knob. Some voices were heard but it was nothing out of the ordinary. Rei opened the door and saw, luckily, just two regular looking officers.

"Are you living here as well?" The tall man asked.

"Of course she is… that's Tadashi's girl you twat." His colleague, a bored looking woman, snarled.

"U-uhm.. yes. I take it you're here for the… nuisance, from earlier." Rei stuttered.

"Yes… and nuisance is kind of on the little side. You almost caused the peace to be disturbed. Now please, let us see if she's indeed not one of those zombies… which I doubt… but orders are orders." The woman, whenever she spoke, was barking it out. She was obviously the dominant one of the two, whilst the man, tall as he was, obeyed her every word.

"I'm sorry. You're absolutely right." She stepped back and let the couple in. Without saying a word they made their way towards the table, and obviously saw the semi-dead Saeko in her bed.

"Right… Akira, guide the girl outside. I'm going to see if there's anything wrong with this upstart." The woman spoke.

The man wanted to guide Rei out, if it wasn't for the fact that she had already moved towards the other cop.

"Sorry, I'd like to stay here if that's all right with you. She's my dear friend and I…"Yes, these words left her with great difficulty. But everything would be better than to let her alone with that evil cop at this point.

"Sigh… fine. Just keep your distance and we'll be fine." The woman angrily threw back, not wanting to get into an discussion. Before Rei walked back towards Akira she gave Saeko a gaze and made sure their eyes crossed for a bit. She gave her a confident nod and turned away. A small part of Rei's brain wanted Saeko to turn, get killed for that would let her be with Takashi forever. However, she knew that that was total bogus. And really… she couldn't just let her nemesis die could she?

When she had reached the man she offered him a seat and they both sat down whilst the woman went to check on Saeko. One might think that such a –test- would be over soon enough but she sure as hell took her time.

Then suddenly Akira began to talk. "Listen… Rei, was it?"

"HM? Yes."

"I apologize for our rude behavior… but orders are orders and…"

When she saw the man doubt himself because of his words she smiled and confirmed the excuse.

"It's no problem. It's all part of a day's work."

"T-thanks… really."

She could clearly see the misery he had been through, and most likely all of the present officers had been through the same or worse. She thought about it, if she and her friends would have had it bad already, then she couldn't even begin to think about how bad it must have been for the police forces. They had to fight hordes and hordes of them, they had to kill innocents for the greater good, send people away, fight even more of them and that's just the top of the iceberg.

"Open your mouth please…" Saeko did so, and the woman did her job. "Stretch your arms please…" Saeko did so, and the woman once again did her job. "Can you move your toes?" The blue head joggled her toes, albeit with difficulty, and the woman carried on. "Can you remember what happened?"

"W-what happened?" She stuttered out.

"Yes, do I speak English or what? What happened?"

Saeko's eyes twitched a little and her head turned red a bit, which was a good sign because that meant she at least had some blood left, but she really couldn't remember. At least… she tried to act like she didn't remember. The truth to the matter however was… a whole lot more gruesome. She didn't want to remember the pain she had inflicted. The suffering, sorrow and fear she herself had been through, but what worried her even more, was the trial she had let those damned people go through. She had mutilated them, tortured them, embarrassed th…

"DO you remember anything or not?"

Saeko shook her head and managed to whisper out a frail –No-.

"Interesting… Okay, close your eyes and lay down." The woman grabbed a notebook, and when she looked up again, Saeko was still sitting and appeared to be slightly confused.

"Lay down."

"Wh…at's this all a-bout?"

"It doesn't matter. Lay down." She tapped on the paper notebook with her fingers and her small eyes penetrated the girls' skull.

"N-no. Tell me what this is … about."

"What? You don't know?"

Before Saeko could answered Rei already interfered. "She just woke up officer."

"I thought I told you to keep out of this?" Was snarled back.

"Right… I'm sorry. "

"Damn right you are." The woman turned back to saeko whom was still sitting straight up. "Sigh… look. We're just making sure things don't get out of hand. If you have been bitten you might pose a…"

"I haven't been bitten doctor."

"That's what they all say."

"But I…" All of the sudden the door opened and the woman threw down her pen. "Jesus Christ… Can't I work in peace for even a mere minute? Who is it this time?"

Little Alice-chan came running back in the room and was thrown of her socket when she was greeted by that angry voice. Following her closely was Takashi.

"Huh, what's that?" He came in with opened eyes and was surprised by the presence of the two officers. However, he wasn't mad or anything, he just hadn't expected them to be here this early in the day. He sat down next to Rei and the man, and stared at the drowsy girl who was being checked intensively. She had obeyed now, not wanting to look like a juvenile girl in front of Takashi, and the officer whom was most likely a medic of some sorts went further with her business.

"Is everything all right?" He asked Rei, just to be sure.

"It appears so. She suffers from light amnesia I think, but nothing special so far."

Takashi grinned and supported his head with his hands. "Officer, how long does this take?"

"About… actually… I don't know. It depends. We are not sure what the signs are as of yet… this is basically a test."

"A test… oh that's just great."

Back at Saya and Kohta.

"Shhh, close that door quietly." She whispered.

"Sure thing."

AS soon as the iron door was shut firmly they moved on. They had been in the basement before and saw plenty of useful little trinkets laying there back then.

"I can't see anything…" She complained.

"Yeah… it's pitch black. What happened?"

"They must have darkened the windows already… shit, let's just hope they didn't bring those flash lights."

"Flashlights?" Kohta asked confused.

"Yes… I saw some of them laying in a box near the fusion core."

"The fusion core?" He asked even more confused. Only realizing later that it was perfectly normal.

They moved into the darkness step by step, perfectly memorizing where those boxes were but…

"AUch…. Watch it will ya?"

"Sorry, but it's so…."

"yes it's dark, I can see that."

"I don't know where to…"

"Sigh… here take my hand." She offered her hand to him but, obviously, he couldn't directly find it.

"WH… where are you?"

"Here, just follow my voice." She ordered. Hirano was shuffling forwards and then finally after a while he found her hand and locked his' with hers'. Of course, for him it had a little bit more meaning than it did for her but still, her cheeks reddened a little. Not directly because of him, but because of how ridiculously they looked… okay who was she kidding, it was because of him all right.

"Come, this way. Are you getting used to the darkness already?" She asked in vain, for she felt her own hand getting clamp as well.

"Uhm…"He wanted to say yes, to please her. And no, to please himself. "I don't know… I don't think so." Which was also the truth. You can only get used to darkness if there is at least some light… Which there wasn't.

"Sigh…" _Jees… what's with this feeling? It can't be… _ She bumped into a few boxes and almost fell, but luckily she had been holding his hand so she could keep herself from doing so. In fact, he had pulled her op before she tumbled. Yes… yes she was ashamed all right, it made her look like one of those drama girls from school.

"Bah, they should be here somewhere. Check these boxes already." She spoke firmly.

"Y-yes!" he yelled as she pulled her hand loose. Did you people already know that he loved her? Well he did, with all his heart. Not just because she looked stunning, he couldn't even see her at this point, but because of her being herself as well. If anyone had barely changed whilst all of this was going on, it would have been her. And Shizuka… but she didn't count in this case he figured. Although… Shizuka had some very big boobi… shhh focus Hirano focus.

"Bah, it's in one of these! They have to be!" Saya yelled as she grabbed box after box but simply couldn't find them. Had she been seeing things?

"Hmm… I think, Yes. Here!" All of the sudden a bright light blinded them both.

"Watch it already!"She laughed.

"Hah! They work! And good I might add!" He aimed the light at the ceiling, then at the far corner, and finally at the girl, not realizing she couldn't see jackshit because of it.

"Kohta! What are you doing? Get that light out of my eyes!"

"R-r-r-r-right! Sorry!" _Dammit I'm so clumsy… man up already! Harhar, Kohta-san! _He now aimed at the floor and noticed Saya standing still, and looking at him.

"Uhm… Saya? … … Hello?" He wanted to shine the light in her face to wake her up but that'd be suicide. She was thinking, and staring at him. What was she thinking about? Could it be…

"Kohta… Do you have a minute."

"Uhm… yes sure. Definitely, of course!"

"I want to figure something out."

"Hng?' Of course, his mind got all crazy, and maybe it should have been crazier for there was obviously something about to happen. And he would have liked it. Sadly however… A loud bang disturbed them. Then another one… and another one. Another one, another one and one more. Then screams, and then the sound of crumbled stone, followed up by even more screams and what appeared to gun shots.

"Shit! Grab those lights and get out!"

"Where to?" He didn't think for much longer. He grabbed the box in one arm, and snatched the girls hand out of the dark. He pulled her back towards, where he thought, the door was.

"Kohta?' She was kinda stumped by his action, but this wasn't the time to be thinking about that.

They ran fast, faster and then at their fastest. Through the dark, towards the door. Throwing it open, only to be greeted by the all too familiar sign of violence. Bodies lay on the ground and bullets seemed to be flying everywhere. Officers ran amok as the wounded were being carried away.

"Oi! Children! Get the hell out of there!" This was screamed at them by an unknown voice, yet they knew all too well that they should get to safety. The place they wanted to go, which was their –house- was unreachable… at least so it seemed. And without their guns, which they had hidden in the far corner of their spot, they would be defenseless.

"Saya-san! Come, stick to the wall. We're going to the others!" As soon as he had said this, a single lead object flew straight past his head and through his hair into the concrete wall. His body was shocked and his mind ran amok, yet he had to stay tough… he had to, … for her. "Come! Now!"

"Yes! Right behind you!" She yelled back in panic.

Bullets, screaming, dead people, pain, blood, wounds and fear. The things they thought would be in the past, were back. And bigger than ever. The humvee's barricade was trembled and on fire whilst a few masked men and women stood on top of it, firing into the running hordes of people.

Was it impossible to settle down then? Were they doomed to live in solitude forever?

What about Takashi, Rei , Shizuka, Alice and above all Saeko? She couldn't defend herself now could she? They needed each other… they had grown beyond friendship, they had become one.

One in this life.

_Yes, about the sudden switch. I want action! Pewpewpew…. But no in all honesty. I just kept on writing and this is what my mind let me too. Maybe a tad too much? Haha I know, but I like it. It'll be raiders led by S… wowa spoiler. It'll be officers against raiders ( I don't know how to call them so I call them raiders. You know, from fallout 3? Yeah they inspired me to give psycho's the name of raiders!) Uhm… Like I said, officers vs raiders vs them _

_Next chapter will be them getting together and maybe escaping and saying goodbye to certain characters. Also it will reveal the main villain and … danger of part 2 if I'm going to write that. And… uhm… that's it? It'll be out next Sunday I hope. Next Sunday or sooner. But NOT later. There I said it. I made a promise. _

_Mommy says I'm a good boy :D_

_I know that maybe this idea of the mall being attacked isn't going to be liked by everyone. But I like it… since it, for a change, really makes the group powerless. Their main fighter is down, and they can hardly go up against armed men and women AND them. I think… yeah… Good! That's it. I hope it hasn't put you all off too much. _

_Yours sincerely,_

_Yamucha-san._


	19. Give up on life

_Hey you guy and girls. Thanks for the support and corrections you've all given me. Much appreciated._

_And yes, I'll keep thanking you all. Deal with it._

_Warning, this chapter is kinda depressing if you'd ask me haha. _

_I do not own highschool of the dead, all rights belong to its original author and animators. I do however own all newly added characters._

**Act 19: Give up on life.**

"GET DOWN! HIRANO! SHIT!" Takashi yelled, as he saw the boy being shot at with a hail of fire. Did he live? "No no no…"

His worries were short lived however as he saw the boy crawling away, with Saya closely behind him. Had they even heard him? "Rei! Get those guns already!"

He kept hugging the door for cover whilst waiting for his armament. The officers had mostly fallen back to the first floor where they would have a perfect firing angle on the raiders if they were to cross the border the humvee had set for them. However, that did leave the seven teenagers almost completely undefended.

About four officers had taken cover just in front of the escalators behind the small fountains next to it. One of them had seen the younglings but was unable to reach them as the fountain was being blazed apart by a thunder storm of automatic fire. Yet as long as that humvee was there, the raiders were deprived of any real possibilities to advance, flank or enter the mall in the first place.

"Takashi! Here!" Rei spoke quickly as she handed him his trusted gun. They had been lucky to have been able to hide those things, for otherwise they would have been toast. She had already gotten herself her barret, and had placed Takagi's pistol and Hirano's guns just around the corner.

"Thanks. Come, let's see if we can get a clear shot off." Without waiting for her answer he peeked around the corner and aimed his gun. He sighed, and turned back.

"W…what's wrong?" Rei asked worried.

"Nothing… I'm just out of range. Rei, get Saeko-san. I'll cover Saya and Kohta." He threw his gun back in the house and grabbed Rei's rifle out of her hand. "Quick!"

Being staggered a bit by the suddenness of all this she didn't immediately respond, yet as she was shaken awake by Takashi, Rei ran back and wanted to help Saeko on her feet. However, that girl had long since heard the danger and had her katana attached to her baggy training trousers whilst fervently trying to stay on her feet.

It scared Rei for a bit, as she was met with a smug coming from a girl whom could barely stand.

"Senpai?"

"Don't worry..." She said as whilst fighting the pain with every step she took forwards. "I'm fine."

"Liar! Come, let me support you!" Rei said, and without waiting for an answer she supported the indigo haired girl by wrapping her arm around her waist.

"All right, … here I go… Three, two, one… NOW!" Takashi jumped away from the door, sat on his knees, gazed through the crosshair and aimed for the gun wielding maniacs. "There you go." He pulled the trigger and felt his shoulder being blazed backwards by the reverse force coming from the gun. He Pulled the trigger again, again, again and once more just to be sure he had hit something. He hadn't even the time to look if he had even hit anyone for he had successfully drawn their attention. He was just in time to jump down behind a nearby flower pot. It wouldn't protect him, but it'd be able to shrug off one or two bullets. Luckily for him, those men and women were equally bad shots.

From a distance he heard the voice of both Kohta and Saya, they were yelling his name as hard as they could, obviously thinking he was a goner. They ran forwards and were in luck that the attention was drawn away from them by Takashi and the officers, the latter whom had most likely hit one of the men on the humvee.

The controversial couple now saw their chance, and sprinted towards their old house picking up Takashi in the process. They shut the door closely and for a brief moment their worlds turned black. They all bent over and panted heavily.

"Shit…. Shit that was close." Kohta finally spoke before he, miraculously, was the first one to have regained his breath. Most likely because he was the one whom was affected the most by the adrenaline being pumped through their bodies.

"Yeah… yeah it was… a bit too close. What the hell are they thinking? Attacking this place?" Takashi complained out loud.

"I don't know… non of us do. Let's just hope that the officers can hold them off… I think they can."Said Kohta.

"I hope they can…" Saya added, only to be gazed at by Rei whom felt offended, it was her father whom was defending them. He'd never fall.

Non of them really said anything, as if it was all just a dirty dream or something … it had to be. Why would humans attack other humans… At least… why would they do that in a time like this?

"Ta…Kashi-kun…" Saeko suddenly spoke, ignoring Rei's annoyed eyes when their aura's once again collided.

"Saeko-san, are yo…" He was interrupted by the girl before he could ask that useless question.

"Do you think that… do you think that they.. are from the same group we met earlier?" The girl spoke worried and silent, in the false hope of not letting the others hear. Obviously, they were all listening at this point, but none of them were really surprised. In fact, that theory was entirely plausible.

"… They can be. Let's hope they're not. I couldn't live with that burden on my shoulders." Takashi spoke, not realizing he was hurting his lovers heart by saying so. Yet… then of course,… none of them could think sober at this point.

"Where is Alice?" Saya and Kohta suddenly asked. "And Shizuka-sensei?"

Takashi looked at Rei, wanting her to answer, but seeing that she was probably thinking the same he opened his mouth instead. "The two officers took her, and brought her up above. … I don't know where Shizuka-san is."

A moment of silence overshadowed them, before Rei spoke up.

"She's getting medicines she said."

"We need to find them, and then… I don't know. We need to get up there." Takashi threw out. The gunshots were still as loud as ever and without break. "Jees… how long can it take to…" He couldn't finish his sentence before they heard a loud bang coming from the rear of their room. Then another one, a louder one.

"Someone's there… quick, get in position."

"Erm.. position?" Kohta asked in doubt."

"Just hug cover!" Saya aided Takashi.

They had completely forgotten about the fact that they had the storage room, which of course, had a big entrance for trucks. Were the raiders in front just a distraction force?

"Rei, protect Saeko-san. We'll handle this." Takashi ordered as he, Kohta and Saya walked forwards and took cover near two big pillars.

"Right. Come, Senpai." She carried the girl whom, for a bit, refused to move away but upon realizing her uselessness she looked down, sighed and let herself be carried away towards the far side of the room and the main entrance.

"T-thanks… Miyamoto." She managed to whisper out.

"yeah… no problem"

The three others aimed at the metal door. It wasn't opened yet but they sure as hell heard people's voices behind it. One of them even seemed to be familiar… but that voice faded away shortly after, leaving nothing but unknown hostiles behind.

"All right… As soon as they open that door, hold your fire for three seconds, let them move in, then give 'm hell for supper all right?" Takashi spoke as a real captain this time. But he, and Saya and Kohta as well, resented this feeling. They were about to kill other people… Takashi had always hoped that, after the accident at the gas station, this would never occur again. Yet here he was, out of option and with a loaded gun. He had of course, changed back to his old reliable Ithaca M37 shotgun, and held it firmly pointed at the entrance.

"Right… understood. Saya-san… be careful." Kohta replied.

"You really don't have to tell me that… Nerd.' Why did she add that last remark? She didn't know, nor cared at this point. Her hands were shaking whilst the girl was aiming at the same spot the others were.

"Come on… come on… WHAT THE?' Takashi yelled as he suddenly felt a hand on his shoulder. Before responding he tried to see if they had heard him… luckily they didn't appeared to have so. It was Rei, whom was ready for action. "Rei, what the hell!" He yelled softly. 'You nearly got us killed!' She didn't mind his screaming at first, however when… " I thought I told you to look after Saeko, she's in no state to be moving around on her own."

"Oh shut it already! She told me herself to help you guys. Now, shut your mouth and aim at the door."The red head spoke firmly. It made her leader blink in confusion. He looked back at Saeko, whom leaned against the wall, already panting heavily. However, her blue eyes crossed his' and she nodded. "Sa…" _ Why won't you accept any help? _Whatever the reason was, he hadn't time to think about it now. He heard, most likely, crowbars trying to find their way underneath the metal, so that the others could lift it up.

"On your guard…"

-A loud cracking sound was heard, the metal was lifted from the ground by a mere inch. -

"Steady now…" He didn't know why he was saying all that, but he felt it was his duty.

-The door moved up, and booted feet became visible. The voices which had been dampened for all this time, now became loud and clear.-

"Seven more seconds." Were the last words he whispered.

- The door opened further and further. Five inches, Six inches, ten inches, all the way up until the point where a head became visible. Everything seemed to be going all right, but then, *bam* A gunshot. The body lifting up the metal door fell down to the ground, screaming and clenching heavily to his ribcage. In the blur of the moment all of them fired, and more bodies fell. The raiders were completely defenseless as they would be crushed underneath the metal if they were to let it loose and thus, every single one of them, died. Or at least came close to it. The crippled bodies screamed and yelled, clenching closely to their shattered bodies.

The four youth lings simply stood there… speechless. Had they done this? They observed the screaming men, but couldn't get themselves to move. Even when one of them seemed to go for his gun, they all stared forwards with big eyes.

"Did… we just…" Takashi mumbled. He thought he would get used to it. And maybe if it wasn't for the screams he wouldn't mind that much. Then again… that guy at the gas station yelled his lungs out. What caused him to be this shocked?

"*pants* Yes… yes we did." Rei stuttered out, followed by a soft squeal from Saya. They heard more footsteps, and the sounds outside were just as fervent as ever.

"We need to get out of here…" Kohta whispered out loud.

"Y-yeah… But not before we Get Alice and Miss Shizuka-san." Takashi spoke. "Let's use the staircase that leads up the building, and use that to get them."

The rest of the group agreed as they were happy enough that the screaming had finally succumbed. They would only later realize how bad they'd regret this, now was not the time. They had to get their group and leave this target building.

They all stepped forwards and carefully approached the downed bodies. As they reached the door some of them closed their eyes and others stared in anguish at lifeless corpses. Yet of course, one of them didn't even do as much as blink. She'd gotten used to it, at least, for now.

"Don't look at them. It was completely necessary, now… follow me." Their leader spoke, in a vain attempt to moralize his friends.

"Right… Coming.." Kohta blew out before he as well moved his body underneath the metal door towards the open world. Takashi kept standing near the opening, and just to be sure, he held up the metal door. He watched his friends move out. First Kohta, then Saya who stared at Takashi very angrily. He didn't know why though… it was she whom fired the first shot wasn't it? Meh… he'd leave it for now.

Rei placed her hand on his shoulder for a bit and they shared a smile. "We'll be safe as long as we have each other no?" She asked without waiting for an answer and disappeared as well. He looked back, and to his shock he saw the other girl standing in the far corner.

"Saeko-san! Hurry." He yelled annoyed and worried. Though she could clearly hear him she only responded slowly. Pushing herself away from the wall and taking her time with each step she took. Her eyes were pointed at him… yet focused at an entirely different scenario, the still twitching bodies near the boy were what had taken her attention.

"Saeko-san!" He yelled again, shaking her awake from her muse.

"Ta-kashi… Sorry. I was absorbed." Was her soft response to his yelling whilst she as well, albeit slowly, made her way towards the entrance/exit. As Takashi watched her dribble forwards slowly he figured she looked… healthier. Not sure why, and this was one of the rare moments where he wasn't really interesting in her appearance. The only thing that matter was her condition. Though he couldn't help but to think that she looked like an old martial master, with her black training trousers and white trimmed black jacket. Pulling of a faint smile he grabbed her hand when she had finally reached him, making sure to get her attention this time.

"Saeko-san, stay close okay?" The brown haired boy spoke on a strict tone with strict eyes and a strict hand gesture.

"Uh..uh." She confirmed, knowing all too well he said that because she was weak at the moment. That… and that he loved her. Though she really wanted him to say that a bit more directly once again… but this was not the time nor the place. She as well, crawled underneath the entrance towards violence and was greeted by Saya's supporting arms whom were helping her up.

Takashi looked back and vaguely waved at their room before crawling away from it as well, only just now realizing that the raiders had made sure to use the safety pins on the side, preventing the metal framework to collapse on their fragile human bodies.

As his eyes adjusted to the sun's bright light and his body to the chilly autumn wind he buckled up his gun and walked forwards, making sure That they , especially one, followed him.

They had arrived in a dark and somewhat sinister little parking lot. Though this most likely used to be the mall's main port, it was now empty. All of the hostiles had left… all of them, besides them.

As they all looked uphill the road they saw those all too familiar and all too scary phenomenon's shuffling towards them and they knew that time was nigh.

Gunshots were still awfully present in the background, haunting their insides. None of them spoke at this point, having learned by now that making noise will attract them. And –luckily- for them, the gunshots coming from the front and, now as well, the hind entrance of the mall produced enough sound to basically distract this entire city block.

Making a gesture to stick close he grabbed Saeko's hand and started jogging towards the metal staircase, hearing the footsteps of the others he kept on running without stop. He knew that they'd follow him without hesitating at this point, yet that also scared him. For if one of them would get hurt it would be his responsibility.

Talking about responsibility. _Saeko-san? Thank God… she seems okay. _ He thought as he looked back for an instance, still tightly clinging to her hand with not even an slight intention to loosen his grip. If she would fall behind now it would be game over. And that would never happen. Absolutely never.

When they had reached the top they took a few seconds to catch their breath and were shocked to see the door which they had used before being opened. Could it be that Takashi had simply forgotten to close it? Or that someone had just gone up here for a cigarette or something similar.

That's what he would presume for the time being.

"Everyone, we don't know what will happen down there. Most likely… I hope, the officers have held their ground and we can Get Shizuka-san, Alice-chan and get up here again. Then we'll discuss our next plan… whether we stay here or not." He spoke up as he rubbed some sweat of his front face.

"Don't you hear the gun shots… They're holding their own, they are professionals." Rei added. "And we're not leaving this place if it can be helped…" She continued. "We have everything we need here, and we're going to fight to preserve the things we need."

Whilst she spoke this they all stared at her. It was strange for Rei to be the one whom used the word –fight-. Yet they figured she was in a frenzy after the shootout a few minutes back.

"No time to discuss this… let's just get down already." Takashi finally confirmed. He then Turned towards the door and slowly breathed in and out, trying hard to retain his focus. "People will think bad of us when they see our guns, let alone if we use them. It's best to make this a search and retreat. "

"You go back, I'll help the officers out." Kohta suddenly grunted with his darkned eyes and shining pupils. "Rei-san is right, we need to bring the fight to them." With that said he took front and waited for the rest to walk through the door.

Takashi looked at his friends and their new attitude. This wouldn't be forever he figured… but they sure as hell had changed within the last few minutes. And was that so strange? No… it wasn't. They probably thought the same about him as well.

"Right! Let's go. Kohta, you're by far the best shot. You take point and cover our entrance okay?"

"Yes, sure thing." He glanced.

"Rei, Saya, you two follow me and help me to get to Shizuka, Alice and little Zeke back for us okay?" He grinned out with a confident stare.

Both of the girls nodded and agreed without sound. Takashi wondered why Rei wasn't opening her mouth at this time. He figured it was because of the same reason he as well was rather tuned down, completely forgetting about the fact that it was her father whom was fighting down there.

"Saeko-san, you stay back and watch Kohta's back.. "

He knew he was going to get cursed later on by that girl because of this command. But really, did he have a choice? It simply wasn't safe … correction, it was plain suicide to send Saeko into the heat of battle right now.

"Got it. Come, we can't l-linger." She puffed out, obviously at the end of her energy already.

All of them moved through the door and made sure they had enough clips, courage and willpower to see this through. They were about to enter a miniature warzone and there was no respawn counter to safe them this time. Takashi took front as he walked past Hirano before he could rush in. He knew about his friends' obsession with firearms, … who didn't at this point? But he didn't want him to do reckless things.

With each step they took they heard the noises of violence getting louder and louder. It wasn't long before they heard screams and orders reaching their ears.

"Right, everybody ready?" He said without looking at his group, already knowing the answer. For a minute he stopped in front of the door before preparing to kick it open.

He inhaled and made sure his feet were firmly on the ground. _Now how did that stance work again…_ he shuffled a bit with his feet until he thought he had the correct stance, which Saeko had taught him before. _Now remember… you're not trying to kick against the door, but through the door. Here I go!_

"What… are you doing?" Rei suddenly asked annoyed.

Takashi awoke from his trance and felt his head go warm whilst struggling to find some words. "D'erm… I was just… just going to kick in."

"Just open it the way it is supposed to open! Now go!" The red head replied and took front. She opened the door and ran straight in, immediately followed by Takashi and a, for a mere second, doubting Saya.

Kohta took his position in the door opening, backed up by Saeko who leaned against the safe side of the concrete.

As Takashi kept running he quickly switched first place with Rei, and as he overlooked their current situation he was shocked by the amount of the destruction which had already taken place. Officers wearing bullet proofs vests were firing at the main floor at the still awfully present raiders, he thought. If he hadn't made up such a show before he was sure that the fighting men and women would have though him as an hostile as well. After all, he did just come rushing in with loaded weapons in hand. As soon as they had sprinted towards the central place of the first floor they stopped for a moment. Realizing there wasn't any real danger… for the time being he made a gesture at Kohta whom let down his guard as well.

"Rei, Saya, let's split up. I'll check this floor, you two the second floor. Get back within ten minutes… I doubt you can miss those two."

"… we'd better not split up at a time like thi… WOWA?" Rei was just able to jump to the side as a flaming bottle came flying right at her face. It missed her, flew on for about seven meters more and exploded in a fireworks show against some of the decorating flowers, almost burning a wounded officer in the process. The latter being barely able to roll to the side. As Takashi saw that man his eyes turned wide. His leg had been completely torn apart and he swore he could see some bone.

This was sick…

"JUST DO IT! GO!" He ran off without waiting for their answer, completely forgetting about the poor mutilated man. Helping him would only stall time, and that was something which they didn't have in ample supply. He was breathing heavily when he reached the far end of this floor and was let down by faith as not a single person even came close to resembling the little girl and her look out. He wanted to sprint back when an officer grabbed him by the arm. The man was wearing a helmet and a pair of goggles which made it rather impossible to identify him, but whomever it was, he wasn't happy to see a teenager running amok with a weapon.

"What the hell do you think you're doing? Get up to the third floor and give away that weapon! You want to die you young fool?" He grabbed Takashi's shoulders and pushed him away a bit too hard, as the boy tripped over his own feet and fell to the ground. His shoulder hit a pot and he felt a sharp stitch throughout his entire body. "ARgh!" He yelled quit hard whilst his hand automatically went for his shoulder. Nothing had pierced him… thank God for that. It would just become a nasty bruise the next morning. Nevertheless he looked up, realizing that the officer had long since went back to his job Takashi as well stood up and kept on running. Once again scanning the survivors of this floor, he really couldn't spot his friends. Now it was simply a matter of praying that Saya and Rei would be a little more successful. When he reached their place of separation again he took a minute to regain his breath before looking at the place where he had Left Kohta and Saeko. The young boy was trying hard not to look over the railing and start to shoot people, whilst the girl was simply staring in front of her, not noticing how badly he was gazing at her, just to get his mind of this place.

Takashi then looked up to see if the other four would come running back… but to no avail. He shook his head and rubbed his eyes before, and he could swear that for a few seconds he could hear a yell. Not a scream for help nor panic, but a joyful and sadistic yell. Yes, of course, there were tons of those coming from behind , and underneath him. Yet this one was… different. It came from the staircase this time.

When he quickly gazed at it he noticed all too well that Kohta and Saeko had also heard it, for they had obviously taken a different approach at being idle. And after that scream, another one followed. But this one was even worse… and it was clearly there.

One of the officers suddenly yelled at the top of his longs: "THEY BROKE TRHOUGH! THOSE DAMNED INFECTED BROKE TRHOUGH! THEY'RE COMING UP!"

_Wait… infected? Weren't they fighting… Oh fuck… no, no no no you cannot mean this. You just can't. _ He turned around with opened eyes and clenched teeth. Step by step he made his way towards the railing and, with much regret, looked down at the main floor. The place was crowded… the place was packed. It was pregnant with figures. Slow, terrifying figures. It was actually quite hard to see the floor because of the sheer amount of them, as literally the entire place had been filled with former mommies and daddies and chilren. He only just now heard their grunts and moans over the sounds the guns were still making. The officers were firing off volley after volley into the crowd. Hitting wasn't the problem, in fact missing would be a problem. However… killing them was an entirely different objective all together. Here and there arms were being ripped off or a heart was pierced by lead, yet none of those things worked. Of course, every single one of the men and women in blue knew that they had to shoot the brains…

Easier said than done.

"TAKASHI!" Kohta suddenly yelled as he grabbed his shoulder with a defeated face. Takashi however didn't hear him… all he could see were the hundreds… maybe even thousands of them. Where had they all come from… Of course…. The shooting had attracted them… but this many? THIS MANY?

Kohta was, just as his friend and leader, completely blown of his socket when his eyes scanned the surface. "No… way…" His head turned away for a bit. "Unreal."

The only thing which grabbed their attention were the sudden endless screams coming from above. Takashi turned around and suddenly saw the blue haired girl right in front him with her back turned towards his face. He had almost raised his gun if it wasn't such a lovable look… _Not the time to be in love Takashi! Not the time!_

In a quick gaze he noticed that the two had –barricaded- the door they had entered from, but then he immediately focused on the screaming.

"Rei…-saya…" Takashi whispered whilst he prepared to run up , and if it hadn't been for the gunshots and explosions that were now entirely occupying the second floor was well. He would have done so immediately.. But now he could see a handful of police troopers shooting down from the third floor, but it was in vain…

"That yell… it must have been them… those motherFUCKING outcasts!" He yelled to no one in particular. "REI! SAYA! ALICE, SHIZUKA!" He yelled in vain and was joined by Kohta.

"No… how? How can this be?" Takashi mumbled as his ears were being deafened by the thousands of ignited bullets and exploding explosions. He was almost knocked over by a retreating officer whom as well, tripped over his own feet in the uprising chaos in the mall.

As Takashi stared at the man he noticed that he wasn't the only was falling back, and by doing so he caused a facade of fear.

"Too many… there's too many…. Never seen this many before. SOUND THE RETREAT! SOUND THE RETREAT!"

"Geck… We can't stop them! Fall back! For God's sake, FALL BACK!"

"There's no end to them! Get yourself to safety! THAT IS AN ORDER! FALL BACK TO THE THIRD FLOOR! FALL BACK!"

And with those words spoken, in an instance, in the blink of an eye, the mall's defenses had fallen. Not a single precise shot was fired from any of the officers anymore as they were all desperate to run up the escalators and towards the third floor. Only to be stopped by the immense wave of frantic families whom were running away from the wild raiders on their floor.

"It's over.. is this it? Is this how we're going to d…" Takashi was grabbed by a pale and soft hand and in a reflex he raised his gun over his head only to, once again, notice that is was Saeko whom was making sure that both Kohta and he would follow her. This was their last chance of getting out of this place before, the first floor as well, would be flooded.

She pulled the two young boys by their uniforms towards one of the abandoned and uninhabited stores in the far right corner. There'd be no point in trying to open the door up to the roof again, for the raiders would obviously see them. With her last ounce of strength she opened the door into the store and basically pulled the two guys in and closed the entrance again. Her face was damp from sweat and she was clenching heavily to her heart, but at least they'd have the time to come up with a plan.

Meanwhile, up on the rooftop.

"Come now girl, let me see that pretty face of yours." A guy in a suit spoke way to calmly. His slender hand made its way around the girls' chin and softly gave her a little push. He didn't get a response, no curse word, no glance… just nothing.

"Come now… ignoring people isn't very nice is it." The young girl, whom was on her knees, could hear his footsteps walking away, only to return again after a minute of whispering in the background. Her ribcage hurt as hell and her vision had been completely blurred. _What had happened?_

"If you don't talk… I'm afraid your dear father and his cohort are going to suffer even more… we wouldn't want that would we? … Tsk tsk tsk… no, not even to that? Kurokami, yuuki… get the other six."

"Right, boss." The two teenagers confirmed and went to grab six others. And threw them in front of the battered school girl with the aid of four armed men.

"Right… let the fun begin."

Back at the first floor.

"unreal… unreal… unreal…" Kohta kept whispering, most likely just repeating the line he had heard Takashi speak before. His leader himself however, wasn't really in a better mood.

"So many… just so many… those screams…" He had only once felt like this before. And that was due to his problems with Rei's love… but the feeling that was clenching to his heart at this point was simply… terrifying. Terrifying and horrible. This moment of weakness would go on for about thirty more seconds before He and Kohta finally silenced and manned up.

The screams outside hadn't diminished. They could hear bullets firing, people screaming for help and crying out in pain and fear. This was just as bad as it had been at their school… no, this was worse… way worse. This was imminent death.

"Kohta… Saeko… What now?" He knew that is was basically his job at this point to tell them what to do. But what the hell was there to do? He didn't get any other response safe for red eyes and grunts. Only after a full minute silence Saeko opened her mouth.

"We're going to get Shizuka, Saya, Alice and Rei of course. Do you even need to ask that?"She spoke with tone of annoyance at his question.

"Yeah… Saeko's right. And we can't linger anymore… don't you hear those FUCKED up noises outside?' Kohta suddenly added as well.

Takashi walked towards the glass windows and stared towards where he saw the chaos. People were either running down the escalators towards the first, or third floor. Raiders having taken position on the second floor whilst a shit ton of them had now reached the top of the escalators as well. It was over… no chance.

"You're… absolutely right." He said whilst clenching his fists and grabbing his gun from the floor. He was able to release a faint smile at both the guy and the girl before he nodded. 'They'll be at the second floor… which is inaccessible via the escalators. Any thoughts?"

They all frowned and after a while Kohta figured that they would use the emergency exit in this store, and use the fire stairs to get on the roof. Via there it'd be easy to flank the raiders and they'd at least get to see… whether they were still alive.

Sounds easy no? It'd be a whole lot easier if Saeko was able to run for longer than one minute, and Kohta and Takashi wouldn't be on the edge of mentally breaking down. The two boys were surrounded by a vaguely blurred world and their brains were pounding out of their eye sockets. And the girl? Do I even need to say that besides her worrying about her friends, the adrenaline of excitement ran straight through her body without break.

"There is no time to waste… if anything goes wrong we're done for… you two understand that?" He asked, not even knowing whether he himself was ready for that. Fair enough, he would happily lay down his life for his friends… but after seeing this flood wave of suffering and destruction hitting the mall… he wasn't sure what to do anymore. Whether he would run, or stand and fight was all up to his legs at this point, not his heart or brain anymore.

"Yeah… let's go for it." Kohta said whilst unbuttoning his jacket and rolling up his breeches. He took a deep breath and just for the kick of it, he cleaned his glasses.

Saeko unsheathed her furious and hungering blade again and took point this time. Though she could only slouch forward, the others were even slower. "Kumoro-kun, Hirano-kun… come. Get yourselves together, we have friends to safe out there." She spoke firmly once again before opening the door and walking on, knowing all too well that that would make them follow. Within a minute Kohta came jogging through the door, followed closely by Takashi.

Yet as soon as they left the danger of the mall for the relative safety of these steel stairs, they could already hear voices coming from upstairs. They were going to fight… Until either them, or they, were death.

Takashi walked upwards, taking each step as careful as possible with shaking legs, until he stopped to face the girl. "Saeko-san… You stay back and… cover us."

He could hear her protesting softly with a grunt but he had already turned around whilst grabbing her firmly by her arms. All of the sudden he had regained his composure, or so it seemed, and with thrilling eyes looked at her illusionistic stare. "Whatever is going to happen… you don't move from the safety of the railings. Got that?" He looked over her shoulders at Kohta, and that guy nodded conformingly as well.

"Takashi… I can still fight, and I am not going to..'

"DIDN'T YOU PAY ATTENTION?" He suddenly yelled, totally oblivious of the fact that the people on the roof had most likely heard him. He shook her around a bit and on an incredibly aggressive tone he confirmed his anger. "I am NOT going to lose you again, got that? NOT!" He reached in his pocket and pulled out a handpistol. T'was a standard Smith & Wesson, the standard issue firearm of the city's police forces. "You are staying back and you'll use this. Never, will I risk you again." He gave her one last squeeze in her arms before turning his back on her and moving up.

The girl simply stood there for a bit, kind of deafened and blown by his anger… Or was it love? Love… Anger… a mix? When Kohta walked past her and followed Takashi she stared at her pistol. Six shots was all she had… and chances were nigh she'd hit anything with it. Then she stared at her blade, Endless shots and the chance she'd hit was one hundred percent.

"Ta-kashi…" She grit her teeth and closed her eyes, clenching her fists she finally sheeted her blade and grabbed the pistol in two hands. When she started moving up as well she could hear screaming already. In a blink she looked up, only to see Takashi and Kumoro only being one level higher than she was. Then who was screaming?

Another scream… the voice seemed in pain.

Then laughter.

A girl yelled something now… that voice was familiar.

One of the boys above her whispered something, and then both of them ran off. Saeko followed slowly out of instinct.

She heard the sounds of their feet disappear, when those two had reached the rooftop. No gun shots were heard… yet she felt incredibly uncomfortable about going up.

Another yell, this time it was a girl… or was it a woman?

*barking*

_A dog? A DOG? You can't mean…_

-gunshots-

-screaming-

Saeko ran up as fast as she could, but could feel her wounds stitching her thighs, shoulders, legs and eyes. Everything became louder and louder as there was obviously a shootout going on up there. She had almost reached the top now.

Five more steps

"LET HEM GO YOU PIECE OF SHIT!"

Four more steps.

"KILL HIM! GET AWAY FROM HERE NOW! ALL OF YOU!"

Three more steps.

"DAD! DAD! NOOOOOOOOOO!"

Two more steps.

… A silence, maybe before the storm?

One more step.

An incredibly loud yell hurt her ears. Someone had died… was it?

Saeko's eyes could now see the events, and yes indeed. She saw a body laying there, with another one leaning over it. Who was it? She didn't know the feasting man. Feasting? As soon as her mind had figured it out it was confirmed. The feasting thing looked around directly into her eyes. It was one of them… it was one of them. How did they get up here? She saw Kohta and Takashi taking cover behind an air ventilation shaft whilst making obvious gestures at some people. Immediately Saeko wanted to move towards them but then remember his words.

She remembered them clearer than ever but… No… no no, she had to listen for once. She gazed at her pistol… absolutely clueless of how to use that thing. _Aim and pull the trigger right? And the safety… is it off? … Come on Saeko think… Safety, which one is it._

All the while she was figuring that out, Takashi and Kohta were taking and giving away heavy fire.

"Kohta! You stay here! I´m going to move over there!` He said whilst pointing at the rubble from the –house- they had made before.

" Got it!" Kohta said whilst releasing another shot, aimed at the leader of the hostile group.

For the time being they completely ignored the meager presence of –them-. There was only… one? No, there were two now as the downed man stood up as well.

" Come on Takashi you can do it!' The boy spoke to himself. He sprinted as hard as he could. Sprinting, dodging and at the last moment jumping in the rubble. He felt the wood scraping through his clothes and skin but at least now, he had solid cover and had reached the destination of his target. He rolled away and sat on his knees.

" Rei… Rei thank God you're okay." He barked out as he hugged her briefly and immediately released her hands from the rope and moved on to the other three. He saw That Rei was crying, and biting her lips all the way where she started bleeding.

" Shizuka, Alice… are you two okay?" He spoke as she released the little girl, whom was bleeding heavily from her nose and simply staring in front of herself. Then he moved on to Shizuka… the woman whom was simply sitting there. Her shirt had most likely been torn off and the bra was loosened as well. " Shizuka-san… No worries, you're safe now." He comforted her whilst meanwhile releasing a traumatized Saya.

He had completely forgotten about the shots being fired at him and Kohta, but instead he simply looked at his friends. Alice –chan beaten up. Rei Crying at the loss of her… father? Her father? " Tadashi-san?' Takashi suddenly jumped up and looked around. " TADASHI-SAN? FUCK!" And even though he was enraged beyond imagination. Even whilst his entire body was ready to fight ' till he'd drop down. He couldn't move. He saw Rei's dad… He saw his , .. friend. Standing there, with pale skin and lifeless eyes.

A sudden pressure was felt on his shoulder but he didn't do as much as flinch. All he could stare at was that man, whom was slowly walking towards him, followed by another slouching body. And behind that? He saw that glassed man from school, raising his arms and waving.

" Shido…. SHIDO! YOU BASTARD! YOU FUCKING BASTARD!" He yelled at the top of his lungs. But still, his feet didn't move.

All of the sudden a hand touched his shoulder, and then hugged his waste. Rei stood behind him, losing her tears over his jacket.

Kohta as well, was carrying both Shizuka and Saya over his shoulder now. Whilst little Alice simply stood behind him, clenching his left leg.

The raiders had long since moved away… down the staircases, and down to safety. They had made place for an horror all the more evil. From the far away door more of them came. First only one, then two more. Then six. That was it for now… but still, that was too much.

Takashi was the only one capable of speech at this point. Not that he could say a lot… it was more as if he had finally accepted defeat. Had he been broken as well? He Thought he heard shots coming from the stairway they had moved up from… but that couldn't be. He looked at where he had left Saeko, and where he thought the shots had came from but he really couldn't see her, nor hear her.

" Saeko-san… run, now. RUN!" He stepped forwards and aimed his gun at Tadashi. But he couldn't do it. He really couldn't.

Kohta had fallen to the ground as Saya had lost the power in her legs and was unable to stand up, thus the boy collapsed under the weight of Shizuka and the pink haired girl. And with that, Kohta as well, was deafeated.

" Well… this was it. I… I've had a great time with you all." He mumbled.

He could hear the groaning coming closer and closer. He could hear Tadashi coming closer and closer.

" Dad… Dad!"

Suddenly Rei let him go and walked towards her father. And what did Takashi do? Of course he grabbed her and pushed the girl against himself. And even though she wanted to escape his arms he didn't let go. But he wouldn't fight.

Maybe it was about time to give up?

" DAD! DAAAD!" The girl suddenly yelled, and kept doing so.

The man was a mere five meters away from the group now, and was closing on them steadily. Four meters, three meters, two meters.

He raised his arms above his head and prepared to strike at the boy and girl.

Takashi stared, having long since dropped his gun, and was simply hugging the girl. Rei's eyes didn't blink, only cried. She was only standing on her legs because Takashi didn't let her go.

Tadashi attacked now. His hands came flying down towards his head.

Soft footsteps were reaching his ears now. Then a girl's voice. Followed by a slash and a groan.

The man took one more step before stopping, shaking and finally tumbling lifeless to the ground.

None of them knew what to do, but one voice spoke.. And that beautiful sound was a loud as she could be.

" Rei, Kohta, Shizuka, Alice, Saya. And especially you Takashi-kun! Never again,

…. Give up on life."

_Okay, what the hell. Worst chapter ever! But but but… next one will be a whole lot more calm. This one was written chaotically and I know it… I' ll re-read it now as I'm writing this. _

…

_There… made some adjustments but it still stinks! I'm really sorry it turned out the way it did. But I simply kept on typing and typing and typing until it ended like this._

_Maybe it's not all that bad, maybe it's good. But it is hectic and depressive as **** man x(. _

_The soft hint at Rape, child abuse and mental breakdown….I didn't know why I added that, but it just has to be there. The world they live in is terrible… and even though this tale is about love… well this fanfic is. And next chapter will be about love again! These terrible things will happen now… and they will happen all the time._

_I know people don't want to read about it, and I do not want to write about it. I probably won't add anything like that in the future, only If it really cannot be helped, which it most likely can._

_Maybe you willl really like this chapter, in that case I'd be greatly relieved. Just know that I hated it xD_

_This will be one of the last acts of .. uhm… season 1 of this fanfic? Next chapter will be talking, and almost only talking. Rows, love, and groups being formed. I will try to set a stage for a possible season 2, or otherwise I will try to set the stage for the end. _

_I Hope you enjoyed it anyways! And I might reupload this one in the coming week. Just to make it better in my mind haha._

_Yours sincerely,_

_Yamucha-san._

_(P.S. A completely not important side note.; I only just now realized that, in the Playstation scene from before, you remember that? Well, there was no power, thus they couldn't possibly have played a game. Just a minor plot hole haha, my bad.)_


	20. This is our life p1

_Soooo, now….! A sweet chapter! A… Whatyacallit? You know what I mean. Just a nice change from the pace we had going. ^^ ( I write this while at page 12…. Uhm, haha. I wanted to have season 1's final love scene in this one, but it's getting way too long! SOORY Y'ALL! Next chapter it is. ^^) _

_And believe it or not. I tried to make this chapter be more like… the regular flow of their lives. No specials plots or anything, just some ways of doing things. _

_I do not own highschool of the dead. All rights belong to its original author and animators. All newly introduced characters do belong to me. ( Though they've all disappeared for now. D: ) _

_Oh and sorry for the long wait, so this chapter will be extra long. :D? Or D:? _

**Act 20: This is our life, part 1. **

Screams came from outside the barricaded door. The wooden frame had been completely shut, and there was no getting in or out.

"Ignore those screams… they are not human…"

The shades outside began to yell and knock harder without knowing that they were only attracting their imminent despair closer towards them. With empty holsters and exhausted arms… there was very little they could do. They had tried to hunt the hunted, but had become the prey of a far more concerning presence themselves.

The yelling didn't stop right away, in fact, it went on for about twenty more minutes. They wouldn't go down without a fight. And a fight they would get.

Meanwhile, inside the house. After those agonizing twenty minutes had passed.

The tallest of the two guys threw down his gun on the ground and threw himself on the big dark blue bench. He rubbed the rain from his face and rested on his knees. His head turned to his left and right as he saw his trusted friends gathering around him. Kohta sat down on the ground, joined by Alice who kept standing next to him. Rei joined Takashi on the bench and Shizuka sat down in a big luxurious chair. The other girl had remained behind to watch the door for a bit and would join them in a bit.

They were all drenched as it was raining cats and dogs outside, but changing clothes wasn't really their priority at this point. Around twelve hours had passed since that dreaded moment on the mall's rooftop. With Alice and Shizuka in some sort of trance, Saya depressed as hell and Rei devastated over the loss of her dear father the mood were, obviously, very tense. Kohta, Takashi and Saeko were at this point the only ones whom were able to add one and one together. And even they found themselves struggling to keep themselves together. Yet at this point they felt obligated to keep the group together.

As soon as he had dried his face with his shirt he looked around to check this house. It was dark… no it was more than that. It was pitch black. The fact that thy sky was crystal clear allowed the moonlight the shine through the windows and open up their environment at least a little… but it didn't help their sight much.

"We need some light… Kohta, I'm going to look around if there are some candles… or flashlights… or just anything. Will you be okay?"

The glassed guy, the latter which he had lost on their escape, simply made a gesture with his hand and remained still to regain his breath and sanity. Takashi walked off… first he checked the closets in the living room where they were all sitting… but it was rather hard to find anything in this darkness, for he had to rely on his senses alone. With chances high that he would be unsuccessful he found himself being annoyed by every little thing that appeared to not be a candle or a flashlight. He walked on towards the kitchen and just gave up upon entering. It was dark… way too dark. He wondered what the exact time was… but that had been a commodity he would most likely never know exactly again. In vain, he opened a few drawers but seeing that he slightly cut himself with, what appeared to be a kitchen knife. "Shit… auii…." He put his finger in his mouth, sucking the blood from his finger, and made his way back to the living room.

"You guys… We'll have to do without light this time. This house seems safe enough as it is… Kohta and me will stand guard and…" He noticed that he was talking to no one when a sudden thunderclap didn't do as much a let anyone twitch.

"Takashi… let's just get to sleep already." Kohta added whilst he picked up little Alice and laid her on the couch and covered the girl with his uniform's jacket. The girl was fast asleep and so were the three other girls.

Even with soaked clothes they all seemed so peacefully in their own little dream world. It was now that Saeko came walking into the room. Her graceful footsteps were lighter again, and whatever had happened to her in these last twelve hours, it had somehow… well, healed her. Or so it seemed to Takashi at least. Though her cuts and bruises were still obviously hurting her, the weakness which had been cursing her drained body seemed to have faded away.

"It's safe. They moved away from the door… most likely searching for new victims. Nevertheless… we'll be safe for the time being."

"Y-yeah… Saeko-san… if you have a minute." Takashi stuttered out once he saw that Kohta had closed his eyes as well.

"Of course, what's on your mind?" She knew damn well what was on his mind. It was the same thing which was disturbing every single one of them. Nonetheless, the two stepped a few steps back and took their distance from the group.

"I just want to… thank you? If that's the correct choice of words. If it weren't for you…" He stopped for a bit as she seemed to turn and walk towards him but then turned right towards the window.

"I don't need a thanks for something which everyone of us would have done.." She spoke softly whilst gazing at the enthralling light of the yellowish full moon.

"B-b… but I…" He stared at his feet whilst searching for the right words. He wasn't really saying this because he loved her, which he did, but that wasn't the reason why he…. Suddenly a soft and calm giggle reached his ears. He stared up and saw that she looked at him over her shoulders.

"But I appreciate the gesture." She smiled. As Takashi looked at her he remember why he always felt the way he did around her. She was stunning. Those deep sea eyes were given an extra shine because of the moon, and her pale skin reflected nature as well. Normally her body would grab his attention as well, yet with these somewhat baggy clothes not much was revealed. T'was merely the illusionistic beauty of her, for Takashi, perfectly shaped face. And then there was her attitude to consider… Sure, it was far from perfect. But it felt so enigmatic and real that it spellbound him by simply thinking about understanding her complex mind.

He took a few steps towards her but then he stopped, considering her condition of a few days back. Instead, against his entire will, he told her to get some sleep.

"Saeko-san… you should close your eyes as well. Sleep, recover, and feel better tomorrow."

He didn't immediately get an answer, only silence. She was staring back at the moon and did so without blinking. "Saek…"

"That'd be the best, for all of us I suppose." She turned around and walked towards the boy, stopping at about one meter from his face she chained their eyes together. "You should sleep as well. We are safe here."

The young boy stuttered a bit, for safety became a word that became more rare to use with each passing day. If he were to listen to her and close his eyes, which he really wanted I might add, they'd put their -safety- at risk. But… if he were to stay up… he'd risk his health.

"Y…yeah maybe I should."He spoke whilst chuckling vaguely. He stared at the chairs and benches, only to see that they were all occupied, safe for one spot. _ Sigh… I suppose looking for a bed upstairs is no option?_

"Takashi-kun, please." She placed her hands on his shoulders, turned him around and guided him towards the bench. "Sleep, and forget." She , though gently, forced him to sit down in between Kohta, Alice and Rei.

As he sat down and relaxed his legs he felt so relieved. It felt as if he had been playing as Atlas for the entire day and was now finally able to drop the world's load. His right leg began shaking automatically as the boy felt himself being captured and controlled by exhaustion. "What about you?"

"I'll figure something out." The girl's voice spoke, dangerously close all of the sudden. He didn't really notice what she was doing but whatever it was… it had to be something good. For the last thing he noticed were all sounds disappearing, his vision going zero and his world turning into the vague shapes of his dream realm. Finally, after all these hardships, he felt at rest. Before he entered the real of dreams he thought he felt a sensational softness pressed on his lips, but before he could react he had left this world.

And it felt great.

Saeko herself sighed softly and looked around the darkness. She herself was exhausted as well… but at this point she felt as if it was her duty to retain the safety of the group. Just to be sure, she gazed out of the window once more before closing the curtains. Then the girl looked at her friends, who were now completely hidden in the darkness of the night, and she walked on. She walked on towards the former dinner table and sat down. Supporting her head with her tender hands she as well closed her eyes and tried to leave this reality.

And she succeeded in doing so, but not before a long stream of salty water came from her eyes, down over her cheeks and dripped on the wooden table.

_I'm so sorry…_

Now that finally Saeko as well, had fallen asleep and was thus getting her well deserved rest. The house became quiet , most likely more quiet than it had ever been. From time to time one of them would open there eyes at the sound of a vague scream or explosion in the background. But very little happened nearby that evening… . This neighborhood had been abandoned long since and there were most likely not more than fifty of them on the streets at this point. And even those few, were slowly struggling away.

They were all at peace now, at least their bodies were.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Dreamworld~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Rei..." The boy looked around the white landscape. His school, house and old hang spot. He could all see it. And in the middle of all that you had that girl. The girl whom had been both his luck and his grudge. Two guys were standing side by side with her… one he recognized all too well as Hisashi. The other figure was a tad more vague… Takashi wanted to walk toward them and speak up, but his legs wouldn't let him. They really wouldn't, it felt as if the white stone pavement was glue, sticking violently to his sneakers.

The three familiar shades weren't talking, only staring into his direction. Hisashi eyed grim and angry… yet at the same time he recognized the gentle and caring face of his old time's best friend. Rei's eyes eyed different. They were staring at him with both a sparkle, and a shiver. As if one part loved him and the other part resented him for all he was. Was this how it was?

He hadn't the time to think about it for in a sudden motion the landscape around him changed. The playground… but… was this all a dream? He didn't know… for all he knew this was as real as it would get. It even seemed to hurt when he pinched himself.

_The playground? What am I doing here? _

He found himself sitting on the bench overseeing the playground, and as he watched the little children do their thing he saw a taller figure slumbering towards him. The sunlight blinded him for a bit but it soon became clear that It had to be Rei. She came hovering towards him whilst being completely still. And only when the image of Rei stood directly in front of him it moved.

"Let's make a promise, that no matter what happens we'll be man and wife in the future." She offered him her pink and out of instinct he completed the pinky swear. They shared a smile and a gaze. Then the world turned over again, he saw himself this time. Sitting on the roof and staring at the sun whilst an angry Rei ran off and away from him.

Not much later he saw himself screaming at Hisashi,

And a minute later he had Rei in his arms again.

This kept going and going and going and going. Takashi saw himself loving, screaming, hating and caring for Rei. He saw about every moment he had had with her in his entire life. Yet a certain few moments were highlighted. Some good ones, and some bad ones.

Why was he dreaming this? Why right now?

He didn't have the time to figure out an answer or he saw Rei's shy face right in front of him. Her arms were wrapped around his waist tightly and he saw his own arms accepting her hug. His body wasn't his to control, only his mind was...

He remember this moment, it was there second year in highschool and their first year as a –real- boyfriend and girlfriend. They had been loving each other for so long now…

He noticed his skinny arms, he really had no fat or muscles at all at that age, and his long hair which fell well over his nose and mouth. But he also saw her face… so young and so innocent, yet she was proud as always.

Just as their mouths approached each others' his vision faded again. He wanted to scream, but only some vague echo's came from his mouth. Yet his world did not reshape this time… only a black void remained. A black void, and he found himself standing in the centre of it. He had full control of his body this time but there was nothing to do. He walked forward, right, left and backwards but nothing happened. What was this?

With every step he took he saw someone in the far away distance… but he simply couldn't approach it. If he would start running the shade would vanish and if he walked it would walk ever so slightly faster.

"HELLO?" He yelled to no avail. "What is this…." He looked at his arms and moved his fingers. If this was indeed a dream it was a darn realistic one.. And if it wasn't for the fact that all of the sudden the darkness made place for the school again he would have lost it.

He stood there at the centre of the school's plaza, with corpses laying everywhere. He saw his former classmates laying on the ground but that was not what worried him. When he walked up to see the school's main entrance he saw two groups.

Two group with an obvious hatred towards one another. On one side there was Rei, Shizuka , Alice… and a purple haired woman with a man he had never seen before. On the other side stood Saeko, Saya and Kohta. They weren't fighting… just sharing stares of anger.

And Takashi himself? He stood in the centre of it all, surrounded by the mutilated corpses of them. As he looked a bit further he saw other humans standing in the surrounding shadows. He recognized some officers, the good doctor, a girl named Mika from school and many more. But the only characters that were really shaped and sharp were his friends.

He looked to his right and left but none of them gave him as much as a glimpse. When he wanted to walk to the left he saw the other group fading away, and the same happened to Kohta, Saya and Saeko as he walked towards Rei.

"You guys? Oi oi oi, what's going on?" He had completely forgotten that this was a dream… actually he had never known this was a dream. "Come on, we have to go!"

Takashi ran forwards without being followed. He didn't look over his shoulders until it was too late, and only Rei and Saeko were standing there behind him now.

Everything faded to blackness besides these three brave people.

Both Saeko and Rei smiled at him and hinted for him to walk towards one of them.

"Wh… Rei, Saeko-san?"

The boy felt his legs tremble and he almost collapsed on his knees. The girl's voices reached his ears at precisely the same time and they both spoke the same.

"Who's it going to be Takashi? We need to know now."

"I… Sa… R…" He closed his eyes to think, but instead of an answer everything turned normal again. He felt something shaking him and pinching his nose.

Was that food? And was that Kohta who was shaking him all too eagerly?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~real world`~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Oi Takashi! Wake up!" The chubby boy yelled softly as he was violently grabbing his leaders' shoulder and pushing and pulling the boy.

As Takashi slowly opened his eyes it became all too clear that it was dawn already as the sunlight was penetrating his freshly awoken eyes. "Oh sweet lord…. Bah, what is it?" He replied annoyed whilst grunting heavily and rubbing the sleep from his burned eyes.

"Ah finally, … you know, you should really sleep a whole lot less…. Tight. It's way too hard to wake you up."

"Yeah well… there's no need to wake me up unless something is wrong… is there something wrong?"

"Besides your obvious rumbling tummy, no nothing. Come, Saeko-san has prepared something with the leftovers from this house's kitchen. You'd doubt it'll be anything good but hey… it's better than nothing." The boy now walked away and seemed to try to wake up Alice now. He pat her on her head and whispered some words which Takashi really couldn't follow.

The dazzled boy stood up from the couch and one again rubbed his eyes, a bit more rough this time and thus causing his head to spin. It was followed by a fervent yawn and some exaggerated stretching.

"Morning already? It feels as if I've only slept f…"

"Takashi!' A girls' voice suddenly yelled. He immediately looked to his right and saw Rei and Saya gesturing at him. "Get your ass over here already! We need to talk."

_Talk? I thought I was going to get some food… _" Is that how we greet each other in the morning now Saya?" he mumbled out, forgetting about the ordeal the two had just gone through the other day. Not just those two of them… all of them had. As he approached the table he saw some cardboard boxes laying around. A few white ones and two black ones. And a bright blue one to top it off. He didn't immediately recognized them but quickly figured that they were ammunition boxes.

"Wow, did you find that here?" He bluntly asked, only to be pierced by fowl stares and groans.

"No… you tool. This is all we have left."

…

A silence fell across the room as Takashi eyes opened in shock. Really? Was this all? … they hadn't shot that much had they?

"We figured that we have left most of our bullets in the mall in the heat of all the action.. This is what simply happened to be in the backpack Alice was carrying with her. "

"But… fuck." He threw his hands through his hair and walked a little backwards. He felt a couple more casings resting in his uniform's inner pocket but there couldn't be more than five. "Have you all checked your pockets as well?" He asked out of instinct whilst grabbing the red shells from his uniform and laying them next to the other boxes.

"What do you think we are? Stupid… of course we have. And to make it all worse, My mother's pistol, Rei's barret and shizuka's cold have been taken from us on that… on that roof we'll never speak off again. Basically all we have left is your… shotgun, the smith & Wesson you apparently gave to Saeko…"

As Saya mentioned Saeko Takashi looked around the room for a short bit, but he couldn't see her. Fair enough… she'd probably be in the kitchen.

"And Kohta's rifle I keep forgetting the name off… "

"What… are you serious?" He asked quite softly, but he was heard nevertheless.

"No I AM JOKING. Hey, earth to Takashi!" The pink haired girl yelled whilst knocking on his front head.

"Auch… hey, cut it out. " He stuttered whilst staggering backwards, only to bump into Kohta whom had managed to grab Alice and wake up Shizuka. "Oh hey uhm… Sorry?"

The boy grinned and nodded before getting to the point.

"Look… we're going to have to safe those last shells and make them count.. which is obvious. What isn't so obvious however, is how we're going to do that. Any ideas, Takashi?"

"What, you're asking me?" He asked confused.

"Yeah, you're the boss." The boy blatantly replied. He was way more direct today… but it didn't matter, he was right.

"Sigh… what we do is obvious no? Kohta, you and Rei are our best shots, and it'd be only fair if you two get the rifle and the pistol. The shotgun goes to… maybe keep it in reserve?"

He looked around the room to see if the others liked his idea and they seemed to agree. Rei would get the pistol which still had at least one hundred shots left, and was thus there most bountiful weapon at this point.

Kohta would keep his trusted rifle, for he was sure to make his thirty bullets count. The shotgun would be kept in reserve in the hands of whomever stayed behind. It had seven shells left and would be their trump card if they were to face any hardships.

The young leader looked around again and only just now noticed Rei's red eyes, Shizuka's moody lips and Alice's defeated face. He felt sad… he felt as if he had the responsibility to do something about that but what was there to do? They had nothing… only themselves.

"Let's eat shall we?" He asked, in an attempt to get their moods up. I mean… food get people's moods up… no?

"Well…. Kohta, Saeko, rei and me have already had our food. You three were that deep asleep we decided to let you rest for a bit." Saya remarked whilst pointing at the kitchen towards some plastic bowls with something in it. "There's plenty left, help yourselves."

"Haha… I will, can't wait." He spoke greedily whilst rubbing his hands in hunger. However before he'd attack the food he had one more question to ask. "Hey uhm, come to think of it. Where is Saeko-san?"

"Upstairs, said she was searching for things, taking a cold bath, finding clothes, flashlights or whatever she could do and find upstairs."

"I…"

"And before you ask, we would be helping her if it weren't for the fact that it's completely dark up there… at least it was. She said it'd be best if she were to be alone. So here we are… downstairs, mourning about our guns and…"

"I get it I get it…. Jees…. I'll just eat." Takashi puffed out towards Saya. He turned around and gave Alice a soft pinch in her cheeks whilst pointing his eyes towards the kitchen.

"Hm?" The girl mumbled out.

In response, her somewhat older leader got on his knees and whispered something. However bad she had been feeling suddenly seemed to have morphed into a utopia of happiness. Without waiting she ran off towards the kitchen followed by a grinning Takashi and a quiet Shizuka, whom was wearing an, for Takashi, unknown sweater.

_Must have gotten it from here.. but wasn't it dark upstairs? Is Saeko just looking for clothes then?_

Whatever the case, the sweater was, as always, incredibly tight on the busty woman but it fit perfectly. Not too long, not too small. Just perfect. It was faintly pink but eyed more red than it should have. On front there was a big peace sign which had been completely deformed because of her… *coughs* chest.

As Takashi approached the bowls he at first thought that it'd be some left over scrapes of meat and vegetables. Yet as soon as he removed the plastic sealing the smell of freshly cooked rice and salmon conquered his nose.

"What the f… I mean, wow I did not expect this!" He managed to repair his sentence just in time. For they had all agreed, at least he thought so, that they'd try to minimalize their cursing around the little girl. Though she was as hard as any of them, they still had that feeling that they were obliged to act mature around her.

Each one of them grabbed a fork, a spoon or sticks and made their way back to the living room. In the light of the sun the house eyed a whole lot less intimidating. It wasn't all too big, nor was it very small. It had a living room, a kitchen, an entrance hall all perfectly synchronized in a square. The garden was rather long stretched but they hadn't had the time to scout that area. And upstairs? Well Takashi didn't know. He knew that there were three floors, and that Saeko should be on the first floor. At least… that's where most baths and clothes are in a regular house? He didn't really know, that had just been the way his house had been decorated all that time.

He sat down with Kohta on the couch, as that guy had taken the liberty of taking what was left. The four girls sat at the table, most likely discussing girly things. Like… hair, shampoo and guns and violence.

"Hmm… hmm, byou knwow. …. Twiss iss actually pwetty good!" The boys mumbled to themselves as they stuffed their mouths. Even the little girl was eating with opened eyes, completely forgetting their ordeal from the other day for a bit.

As Takashi put yet another piece of fish in his mouth he accidently stared right into Rei's eyes whom was still sitting at the table. She looked at him with a smile… the same smiled she had shown him for all these years now. He had been getting slightly annoyed by the sight of those lips the last few days, but at this point he was happy enough that she could smile. Even though she lost her dad just the other day.

_Most likely just gathering sadness again… just to let it all explode in a few days. Sigh… but who am I to deny her her ways of mourning. _

As soon as Rei noticed that he had seen her staring, which was pretty fast, she coughed, blinked and turned her attention towards Saya again. Upon seeing her reaction Takashi coughed a bit as well and put down his bowl. He suddenly got the urge to speak to a certain person because he felt that their conversation of yesterday hadn't really been ended. Well… it had. But not in the way Takashi had wanted.

"Kohta, I'm going to check on Saeko-san. She's taking me a bit too long and her wounds are still fresh." Was the excuse he made.

"Huh? She said she was taking a bath… but come to think of it… that was well over an hour back. Sure, … sure. Leave me here with these girls."

Takashi wasn't sure about his last line. His voice sounded a little… perverted, yet disappointed at the same time. He was most likely just being him.

Nevertheless the young leader stood up and walked towards the hallway, only looking over his shoulders to see if the others were staring at him, and frankly enough…. They weren't. The group of four seemed to be having the time of their lives somehow…

Could it be that yesterday had made them stronger? He doubted it… just the silence before the storm again he thought.

Nevertheless he moved his hand towards the door notch to open it, but just when his hand wanted to grab it the door flew open, right in his face, flying into his nose and throwing him towards the ground.

His vision went black for a little bit as his hand clenched his nose.

"Auch… what the doodles?" he yelled whilst he was sitting on the ground. He heard a soft squeal coming from the opening so he knew it was all right… but it still hurt as hell.

"Takashi? I'm sorry!" The girl yelled out softly, yet kept standing on the same place nevertheless.

"Yeah… it's fine.." he spoke whilst crawling back on his feet. He felt a soft stream of blood coming from his nose so he squeezed it in the hopes of stopping it right from the bat.

"What the doodles?" He heard from behind. As he turned around to see who said that he saw Kohta laughing out loud like all friends would do when something similar would occur.

"Oioioi… my nose is bleeding. It's not that funny…" When he looked further around the room he noticed the girls were laughing as well.

"It's not that funny… stop laughing."

"Sorry Sorry…. " They all giggled out

"Yeah… I bet you are… Great…" He turned around to stare directly into Saeko's eyes, not even noticing her hand covering her mouth as well. It was only now that Takashi felt the need to laugh a bit as well… but really not that much. Why doesn't anybody ever understand that this shit really hurts? ( No really it does… it just happened to me and everyone was laughing. This shit hurts!)

After their happy time was over and Takashi went upstairs to clean his face ( seems like the tap upstairs was the only one still giving cold and fresh water.) he had a vague feeling in his tummy. It felt as if… everything was normal. As if he was just living his life once again. As if he didn't lose most of his friends… his future, his dreams and his hopes of getting Rei back. Well… the latter shouldn't have been a problem weren't it for the fact that another awesome girl showed up in his life. And how did she show up… the first time they had spoken, in that hallway at school, he had seen her fighting. And for the rest of that day? He had seen her fighting some more. The other day… she was fighting again. Yet then things got special. Sure, they had had their moments before, but that was nothing more than harmless flirting. Yet that evening in the temple, as well all know by now, changed everything. They had shared a kiss, ones lifestory and each other's trust. Though that had all been rather… one sided. It were the days after, that his feelings began to flourish. It was in those days that his feelings for Rei began to get replaced by his strange and new feelings for Saeko. Anyways… he loved that feeling. He really did…

What he didn't love however was the fact that his nose simply would stop bleeding.

"Jesus… how long has it been now? Ten minutes? Mom always used to say that after ten minutes I had to go and see the doctor… Really? Shizuka-sensei? They'll only laugh at me again? And why am I speaking to myself? Because my nose hurts! Stupid me…. Wanting to check on her… getting myself hurt and all…. Stop with bleeding already!"

His hand grabbed yet another piece of toilet paper, whilst the other clumsily threw the other one in the bin.

"That's…. five." He stared in the mirror and chuckled at his half sleeping exhausted face. Now that he was giving it attention, he noticed all too well how dark his eyes were at the moment. Or had they always been like that…? he didn't really care. For that stupid red liquid still came pouring from his nose.

"Did she break something? Bah! If only it had been someone else… I could have blamed that guy. But with h…"

*knock knock*

"Excuse me… Kumoro-kun, are you in there?" The all the familiar voice spoke softly and with some hesitation. Takashi himself sighed a bit. He sure as hell wasn't mad at her, just a tad annoyed. Which was perfectly normal after such a thing.

"Yeah I am, come in." He spoke. The door opened and to his surprise Rei came walking in first. Followed slowly by Saeko. He really had no clue why they had come to see him, all he knew was that he was a bit disappointed by the fact that both of them had come. "Huh? Is there something wrong?"

"No, we're just here to see if you're okay after that little… incident." Rei spoke mockingly whilst holding back a smug giggle.

"… It's just a…"

"Let me see that." Rei walked up to him and forced him to sit on the toilet. She told him to keep the pressure on his nose whilst she herself grabbed something out of the medical cabinet.

"D'erm…. What's that? You're not going to give me a needle or anything no?"

"Shhh, haha. No of course not, now just sit still, this might hurt a little."

"What?"

"Just kidding! But really… sit still." She grabbed his arm and pulled out the tissue that remained stuck in his nose. "Ugh…." And immediately replaced it by her own tissue with a mixture of some sort in it. "there you go, now… just let it in your nose for a few minutes and it should be okay."

Takashi stood up and softly pushed her hand aside. "Thanks…. But I was fine already, this was nothing."

"It's important to look after your own body. Especially yours." She said whilst gently running her hand over his back. "Now, there's someone who wanted to apologize no?"

"Hmm, what?" He was confused for a little bit, but then it struck him as pure logic. She had kinda hurt him so saying sorry was the only logical thing to do. As his head made its way towards the girl whom was still standing in the door opening he noticed her change of wardrobe. He felt kind of stupid to only notice it just now, yet then again, he hadn't really gotten the chance to see her.

Her baggy sensei-like clothes had been replaced by another, much more Saeko-ish outfit. At least that's what Takashi thought. She had gotten her hands on yet another black mini skirt, which was maybe only one inch longer than the last one. Black legging weren't a rarity amongst girls nowadays, so obviously those were in place around her beautifully shaped legs as well. It was her yellow top though, which surprised him a little. She had a tight black sweater underneath it, which stuck perfectly to her very body, and over it she had a… yellow tank top. Yellow? Takashi had always thought her to be a little more… blackish. Proves how little he knew. Come to think of it, how much did he really know about the girl? Next to nothing actually. Well, he knew her biggest secret, at least he thought it was her biggest secret but that was just about it. He didn't know her hobbies, her history nor her birthday.

"Saeko-san? It's really not neccecary to apologize…. It's just a running nose basically. Only with a little blood instead of snot." For himself it sounded like a perfectly valid sentence, yet for Rei it sounded vulgar. Even Saeko twitched her eyes a little.

"Yes I know but it's in place nevertheless. I really didn't know you were there… so for what's it worth. I'm sorry." The girl spoke whilst her blue eyes were obviously pointed at Rei, instead of Takashi. And, obviously, the boy noticed it. Takashi however pretended to not have seen it and closed his eyes and smiled whilst shrugging.

"Apology accepted, now let's go down already?"

Neither of the girls responded and it was Takashi once again who had to disrupt the silence.

"Erm… hello?"

"UHm, Takashi. If you have some time I'd like to talk to you." Rei suddenly spoke. She apparently didn't have the courage to stare at anyone's eyes at this point besides her own via the mirror, but nevertheless, she had managed to spit it out.

"If it's about yesterday… I really think we should discuss such a thing in the group. Not alone."

"Yes but…"

"Sigh… Rei, come. We'll go down right now and just talk about it all. We've all had quite a… rough day. And now we're doing nothing but delay the inevitable. Besides, we need a new plan of action."

The red head didn't respond but only sighed in disappointment. But she knew he was right, thus decided to agree.

"Yes, okay… you're right. Come." She took point and walked towards the door. Saeko moved aside as she let the blushing girl out. Her own expression was a whole lot more blank whilst she waited for Takashi to leave the room as well. Rei had already made her way downwards when Takashi came walking towards the door. As he approached the girl they both knew that they were quite obliged to say something. But nothing struck their brains thus it only resulted in an awkward stare.

As saeko wanted to let Takashi out of the door their eyes locked for a bit, whilst both being able to release a faint smile. But nothing more.

"Saeko-san… You didn't want to apologize no?" He whispered before walking down the stairs, and when he heard the girl struggle over her own words he already knew the answer. "It's okay, you didn't have to. You can't do anything wrong in my eyes." He spoke with all honesty before walking down.

Obviously, this was a sentence every couple would say and actually believe. And so did Takashi. At this point he really didn't see how the girl could do anything wrong. Obviously, if he'd think about it. He could come up with plentiful ideas of what could go wrong, but he didn't want that. At this point his mind was focused on the conversation to come.

The girl whom was still upstairs simply stared around the bathroom for one last time. She was in fact, quite proud, of the fact that she had managed to remove the boards in front of all the windows without bothering anyone. If only she'd get a little recognition for that… ah well, what was she going to do about it.

As she as well walked down she noticed everyone either sitting or standing near the dinner table. The morning sun shined bright and the old ticking clock was the only sound hearable. They were obviously waiting for her to join them so that they could begin.

"Good… now." Takashi began. "Let's not talk around it. Yesterday… was almost our end. In fact…. We lost way too many people there…"

"But w…" Saya interrupted but was immediately cut off by Takashi again.

"Now I know we couldn't have done anything for the situation there had just gone out of hand but… but I think we should talk about what to do next time."

"Next time?" Kohta added.

" Yes… chances are big we'll run into another dangerous situ…"

" Look… we all know this." Saya interrupted whilst making an obviously annoyed gesture with her hand. " What we need to talk about is our… strategies."

When she had said this she noticed all too well that they were staring at her. In both anger and respect. For she was right…

" Look… I just mean. Okay, let's begin from the start. The bridge, our way to the mall, that's where the dangers started…" As she had said this Saeko automatically stared at her shoulder, which had luckily completely healed by now. "Secondly…. letting that family in… Big mistake." They all stared at the table or at the ceiling, besides Rei who gave a short angry look towards Saeko, whilst Saeko herself gave her a furious sight of her own anger.

" Then came the almost fatal … incident… when searching for our parents. Takashi, Saeko-san… we don't know what exactly happened there. But we do know that we almost lost one of ours there. And I haven't even begun to talk about our actions when the mall was being attacked. We're lucky… no, lucky is too small of a word, we're blessed that we are all alive still."

" We' re not… all, alive." Rei suddenly interrupted with red eyes. " We lost my… f-f…"

" Rei, you don't have to say it. We know it's still a fresh wound for you…" Takashi comforted her. He didn't know whether it was of use to say anything to her at this point, for she was obviously on the brink of losing it already, but he felt as if it was his responsibility nevertheless.

" All I mean to say is that… from now on… we REALLY have to think about our actions." She stood up from her chair and waited for the rest to agree with her. Obviously Kohta nodded quickly enough. Takashi himself agreed as well, but the rest remained in silence.

It was also at this point that Takashi noticed Shizuka and alice, whom was sitting on her lap. He had completely forgotten about their ordeals and boy… did he feel guilty about that. But this simply wasn't the time to… what was he talking about, of course it was.

" I think the most important thing at this point is regaining our mental stability. We're all on edge here, and there's no point in hiding it." Just as with Saya, he didn't get a real response but he knew that what he said was right. He knew that Rei could lose it at any time, and would most likely blame Saeko for murdering her father. Which wasn't that crazy was it? It certainly wasn't justified, but it wasn't strange. Alice had been abused quite a bit, for otherwise she wouldn't be affected the way she was. He figured they'd just had to have a little fun with the girl and she would be back to normal in no time. As for Shizuka? He knew she had been violated, but he didn't know to which extent. Most likely not all too much, seeing that she had still been wearing her skirt at that point, but any violation is one too many.

Luckily for the group, her easy going, maybe even a tad dumb personality would help herself in getting over it in due time. Most likely, if she was able to get her mind of it for just a bit, she would return to them.

Whatever had happened to Saya didn't seem to affect her, for she was just as fervent in her actions as ever.

And what about Saeko, Kohta and himself? They seemed to be the sanest of the whole lot at this point. Sure, they had been terrified by the sight of thousands of them at the same time, but they had already learned to deal with it.

If anything, Takashi felt guilty for being their leader and allowing all this to happen. Maybe he should just… give up on that role. Maybe they should go back to the way they were in the start. You know? Just a democracy basically.

Kohta felt… different now. He had seen the terrors of this world in its fullest and he had sworn to himself that he would adapt to it, and eventually fight against it. The thing about which he was worried most, was their lack of ammunition, no… actually it was their lack of armament in general. They had three firearms, and if he were the listen to Saeko her katana was just as deadly, if not more so. And what more? Rei had gotten herself another shaft from a broomstick whilst keeping the pistol in her belt, Alice was still unarmed, and so was Shizuka at this point. Going out now would be suicide…

And last but not least, Saeko. She felt better now, if not still a little weak, but better. It was most likely due to her extremely healthy body that she was able to withstand such a punishment and still be able to go on. That…. And she was lucky that she had no bone fractures. For those wounds were most likely the worst kind in a world like this. Her blood amount would refill itself, the scratches and holes were healing perfectly. And all that because of Shizuka and that unknown doctor? If only she could express her gratitude towards that man as well.

"Anways… what I mean is that we'll stay here for a few days to get ourselves some rest and think about what has happened. Then we'll make new plans… but not until we've regained our mental stability. Got that?"

He turned his back towards the group and walked towards the door. I'm going upstairs to see if I can get some new clothes as well. This school uniform just is a bit… too schoolish?"

With that said he opened the door towards the hallway, looked over his shoulder and smiled.

"This is our life."

**End of Act 20, part 1.**

_Okay sorry! This was totally not what I had planned. In fact… I don't know what happened haha. I wanted to finish it in this chapter, but I guess I'll need a second part. I upload this now because it has been… 3 weeks? Sorry about that, I just got a bit slobby. No excuses this time_

_I hope you all like it anyways, even without anything significant. Next chapter will be MUCH better. I promise that on my worthiness as a man! Yeah! _

_Thanks for reading y'all._

_Yours sincerely,_

_Yamucha-san. ( Sorry for the grammar mistakes. Like I said… whilst writing this, I just wasn't myself.)_


	21. I've got a great life p2

_Okay! So this is either the last chapter, or one before the last. Anyways, the end is approaching! Muwuhahaha. ( it's relatively short.) _

_I do not own highschool of the dead, all rights belong to its original author and animators. I do however own any newly introduced characters which are part of the story._

**Chapter 20 p2.: I've got a great life…**

"Right so…. Red, indigo pink or yellow? Hmmm…" He had laid in front of him four somewhat too large singlet's and he didn't know why, but he felt as if he had to pick the correct one this time. His old shirt he had thrown away, for the blood would be simply impossible to properly wash out.

Like I said, there were three singlet's on the bed in front of him. His trousers were long since replaced by some regular jeans. They appeared a tad battered but were sturdy enough to keep intact in this rough life.

"I've been wearing red all this time… and I'm getting a bit tired of it. so I suppose that one is no option. I have nothing with pink and yellow… so I suppose t'is time for something new!"

He threw aside the other singlet's and pulled the dark purplish one over his torso. The black jacket from his uniform was still in perfect condition and he still wore it. As he looked in the mirror he couldn't help to strike a pose. As he tensed his muscles, even though you couldn't see them, he felt as if… something had changed about his body. As if he had become… stronger. Yeah, yeah his muscles felt harder indeed.

"Right… now let's see, some new shoes? " He looked around the room and almost tripped over the huge circle shaped bed. As he saw its softness in front of him he immediately just wanted to lay down. His back ached a bit because of his night on the couch. And what was stopping him actually? Absolutely nothing.

" Well…It's time… for a nap." He jumped on the bed and laid on his back. Arms and legs spread and eyes closed. It felt great… really great. He stretched a bit and began to think about things. Things such as food, weapons, survival and fun. But obviously, his teenage mind couldn't keep it with just those things. His brain thought about girls whilst his heart thought about necessities, and thus it wasn't long before his pumping heart gave up and his mind once again drooled off to think about girls. And only girls.

No really… was it that strange? He'd been around … well,… perfectly looking girls for quite some time now and barely had the chance to just enjoy the looks of them. Sure, he had gazed at them time after time but he had never really let is cross his mind. He must be, together with Kohta, one of the luckiest guys on the planet. Yet he knew all too well that he couldn't go around and fiddle with all of them. He didn't even want that to be totally honest. It was going to be Rei… or Saeko? His mind was set to simply get over Rei. But his conscience wasn't… he'd be breaking the promise wouldn't he? Well, Rei had come close to that before, but now she remembered it all too well. The only thing which was keeping him from believing her completely, was the suddenness of all of it.

As he was thinking about all of this he thought he heard some screaming coming from downstairs, yet he couldn't confirm a thing.

"Bah… I really shouldn't sleep… I should… do something. Let me check the garden." Whilst he was fighting the increase of gravity coming from his bed he could swear he heard screaming again. If there was a row beneath… he didn't want to have a damned thing to do with it at the moment. He opened the curtains and stared out. Even though they were approaching the winter by now, the weather was actually very pleasant at this point. Sure, there were grey clouds stalking the skies, but it wasn't anything bad. T'was warm enough for him to open the window and simply… breath. The garden behind the house was actually rather… big. Nothing special, but still rather big. It was divided into two squares, separated by a fence of leaves and branches. A swimming pool was present and it actually eyed clean. Sure, there were some red and brown leaves floating on top of the water but the liquid itself was perfectly clear. A few chairs, a tumbled bbq and a garage were the three most eye catching things in this little secured haven. Along with the pool, of course. It was a shame it'd probably be too cold to take a dive. Ah well… they couldn't have everything. He closed his eyes again and started thinking about his companions again.

Saeko… Rei… Kohta… Saya… Alice and Shizuka. If everything would go as planned he'd be spending his remaining years with them. Maybe even… marry with one of them and start a cozy family? He caught himself giggling at this taught. Of course that wouldn't be an option… Marrying was frankly… impossible, and having a child in this world would just be a death sentence. Both for yourself, your sweet wife and the child itself. But then of course… they had Alice. And they were basically her foster parents now.

But never mind having a child… what about their own future? He had already thought about this… but obviously it still hadn't left his mind alone. Would they have to deal with these beasts forever? Wouldn't they die of starvation at one point? If that'd be the case… they would most likely start to fall down any time now. Or at least within a few weeks. That would be… survivable no?

-Something fell on the ground downstairs-

"… What the hell is going on downstairs?" He sighed and shrugged in the mirror. "No rest for me… They're probably fighting over the food… or the guns…" He walked towards the closed door, grabbed the door notch and as soon as the big white door opened a mere inch, he heard a loud scream.

"SAEKO!"

"Saeko-san?" Suddenly, in the blink of an eye Takashi's senses got back to their fullest and he sprinted his way downstairs, almost tumbling from the top of the staircase towards the bottom. As he had reached the downside the yells came back. He thought he heard crying voices, but above all, he heard one angry voice. No… it was more than that. It was a doomsday voice.

He raced towards the door, threw it open and what he saw was going to change his role for all of his life. His eyes, strangely enough, at first saw a broken broomstick stick on the ground just by the door he had just opened. His face turned left and right in rapid succession and he saw Kohta, Saya, Shizuka and little Alice trying to interfere with the problem at hand, but unable to do anything. Alice's eyes had been instinctively closed by Shizuka's hands and Kohta had to keep himself from running forwards to stop it all, yet something was stopping him. Maybe his violently bleeding nose had something to do with it? Meanwhile Saya was yelling fervently but, obviously, to no avail.

It was now that Takashi's eyes reached the thing he should have seen before the rest. One of the girls was trapped with her back against the corner, whilst the other one had her razor sharp weapon just in front of her throat. All of their four eyes showed nothing but bloodlust. Well… that wasn't really true. One pair show –mere- bloodlust. The other two oceanic eyes were much more terrifying. And if eyes could kill, they'd kill a whole city like this. Not only kill, but also obliterate and wipe it from the face of the earth entirely.

At first he thought Saeko was the one in danger for it was her name being yelled. But now it was obvious that her life wasn't in danger… not at all.

Her katana was a mere millimeter removed from Rei's exposed throat. The red haired girl had nowhere to go and waterfalls were running from her eyelids. Sure, Takashi could see the fear in her eyes, but above that he saw the anger. The rage and the fury. However, the girl didn't even dare to open her mouth for one wrong move and it would all be over.

What the heck had happened here in the mere hour Takashi was gone?

Obviously, he wanted to run forwards and punch the one who would do this to the ground… wasn't it for the fact that it was Saeko. And whatever had passed, she'd have her own reason. Maybe… well, for Takashi at least, it was obvious what had happened.

He wanted to open his mouth but just before he did a soft whisper filled the room.

" Hmpf… You're not a challenge, just an annoyance." And whilst she said this her hand moved a forwards ever so slightly. The reflecting steel became one with Rei's skin and a very small stream of blood came running from the girl. The younger of the two grabbed the closet behind her and turned her face in the hope of this all being a nightmare. Her whole body was shaking violently and her eyes were closed so firmly by now that they could basically start bleeding.

"SAEKO! WHAT ARE YOU DOING? YOU'VE PROVEN YOUR POINT!" Saya yelled. She took a step forwards but was immediately grabbed by Kohta. "What are you doing? DO SOMETHING!"

"Saya-san! Shhh." He spoke softly in her ear. "This isn't normal, just look at them…"

"OF COURSE IT'S NOT NORMAL! WHAT DO YOU TH…" As she watched again she only got more shocked. Not only were her friends almost killing each other off, but one of them seemed to enjoy it a tad too much. That grin… how could somebody grin? As she saw Takashi standing in the door opening she yelled at him to do something, but he was just as dumbstruck as the rest of them.

The whole room became silent and waited for something to happen, grabbing Saeko would be too dangerous. One wrong movement and Rei was dead. Grabbing Rei was, obviously, just as little of an option.

All of the sudden Saeko removed her blade from the girl, sheeted it and stood up straight. Her eyes were in a firm battle with Rei's and they would be for quite some time. "You're not even worth it." The pale girl giggled out before she turned around and took a few steps backwards.

"S-s-screw you?"The other girl stuttered out before falling on her knees and clenching heavily to her neck. She was coughing badly but seemed to be all right. It was now that the rest finally got the guts to move again and Shizuka immediately raced of towards Rei, whilst Kohta and Saya simply stood in between them to prevent. Takashi immediately grabbed Saeko by her shoulders and moved her away from the scene, pushing her in the corner and giving her his most firm look ever, only to be ignored completely. The girl was looking past his shoulders at her victim and was strangely enough still grinning. Her teeth were grinding and her fists clenched.

"Don't worry Takashi, I wouldn't kill her without reason now would I?" She spoke softly after a while.

"WHAT THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING? Are you out of your mind?" He spoke firmly as this time it was Saeko whom was pushed against the wall. Sure, as soon as he had done so he regretted it for he could see the disappointment and anger in her eyes. But this was… too much. He'd take responsibly for everything… but this was too much. Without even asking for her reason he pushed her against the wall once more, this time her head bumped into the bricks first and a soft groan was heard. It's not as if he wanted to do so…, but he did so automatically. "I can't leave any of you alone for even an hour? Now look what happened!" He let her go and turned towards the others. "Anyone cares to explain this?" He yelled enraged.

Rei beckoned with her hand but Shiuzka grabbed her and together they moved towards the kitchen. Alice simply sat on the couch and watched the whole thing, as both Kohta and Saya tried to reason with Takashi.

Even though they had planned on resting, the tension between all of them got even worse. When Takashi wanted Saeko to join them, all he got was a foul stare before she as well walked off past Shizuka and Rei, and towards the garden. He tried to stop her in both resent and anger, but he was stopped from doing so his two remaining peers.

"Calm down Takashi! If you start yelling you solve nothing!" Saya spoke.

"Look who's talking!"

"Oh don't be such a smartass!"

"I'm not being a smartass. I leave you people for… maybe one hour. ONE single hour, and it's already a mess!"

"It's not our fault that those two are at each other throats is it?" The girl replied offended.

"You could have interfered? But nooo…."

"Look, Takashi. You can blame us all you'd like, but if anyone's to blame for their hate for each other it is not us, but you Takashi. You and your… DAMNED lack of guts for making a choice!"

And there you had it. The mood killer, the conversation stomper and the scissor that broke the red finishing line. Takashi raised a finger but eventually looked down at the ground.

"I … you….Yes… yes you're right. Maybe it is time to speak up." He spoke on a very low and on an almost whispered tone, before walking off towards the kitchen without saying another word. He heard Saya's attempt for an apology but decided to ignore it. If it was going to have to be played like this, he was not going to merely play along. He was going to win and end this thing for good.

The boy walked towards the kitchen and wanted to talk to Rei, to hear her part of the story. But since she was being taken care of by Shizuka he figured he'd pay his violent demon a short visit first. He gave the red head a tap on the shoulder before opening the door towards the garden. As soon as he set foot outside he was greeted by a wind gust which sent a chill down his spine. Small and soft drips of water found their way through his clothes and on his body. He couldn't see her in this square of the garden, and seeing that the backdoor was still closed he made his way towards the opening in the hedge. As he walked through it he was greeted by the scent of chlorine coming from the pool, thus his eyes made their way towards the shiny blueness immediately. However, what caught his attention wasn't the pool. Obviously it was the girl whom was sitting on the edge. She had rid herself of her shoes and had placed those, along with her katana, against the hedge which was just behind her. She didn't appear to be very sad, nor did she look angry. Only blank and emotionless.

Takashi looked back at the house before he walked through the hedge , turned right, and made his way towards the girl. The road towards her seemed to last for an eternity as he felt his head turn dizzy. He had no clue what he was going to say. He was furious at her… of course he was. But he also knew that it was probably perfectly justified in the girl's eyes.

What made is harder was that she didn't even allow him even a fragment of emotion. No, she simply kept staring at the water whilst playing a bit with her feet.

"Saeko!" He suddenly yelled as he was about two meters removed from her. "Saeko-san!" He still didn't get an immediate response nor did he want one. He had after all broken his promise of taking responsibility had he not? Well… he didn't think it was all that weird, but for her it would be. Being a girl of her word, he figured she'd expect a promise to be followed to the letter. "Saeko-san… Why? Just give me a reason and I believe you!" He yelled, for the wind was getting more fervent with each passing second. In fact, it was already bad enough to make him cover his eyes.

"Jesus Christ what is up with this weather…., Saeko?"

He moved towards her and grabbed her shoulder once again. But as soon as he did so he was tapped away by a lighting fast movement of her hand. Nevertheless he did so again, and finally had the result which he wanted.

"What is it? Has she turned you against me now?" She spoke to the water.

"What? Of course not" He spoke rather loud, and having barely heard her sentence he decided to sit next to her. But not with any distance, no, in fact he almost bumped her in the pool. As he sat down he noticed all too well how hard it was beginning to rain.

"Saeko-san… come, let's get inside and talk this out shall we?"

"Takas… Kumoro-kun. What's the point in talking… you saw me, you saw her. Both of us could have killed each other. The pieces have been set for quite some time now… and as it seems, I'm the better player at this point. Time will tell us the rest in game…" She spoke, way to soft once again. And she didn't make it easier on him by talking like this.

"Just tell me why… what happened? You can understand how it looked for us can't you?"

Upon saying this she suddenly turned her head and frowned at him. She eyed mad, furious even. In fact, for a bit it seemed as if an entirely different Saeko sat there in front of him. Her fists clenched and it seemed as if she was about jump him. And she would have, if it weren't for the fact that in the blur of the moment she saw his hand flying towards her cheek. And as it happened, it was already too late. A somewhat burning pain followed, and after the pain came anger.

He had just hit her hadn't he?

"SAEKO!" He immediately grabbed her arms and forced eye contact. "Listen to me! I have told you before, that I would care for you no matter the sins you've committed! And I still will!"

He gently shook her awake, for she was still startled by the red mark on her cheek.

"But you're going to have to speak up, just like you've done before." He pulled her closer this time and embraced her, but once against, with way too much force for it to be a regular hug. One could say he was literally pushing the air out of her for her head became slightly red, … yet that wasn't because of pain or anything. Sure, she felt a somewhat uncomfortable stitch because of her already battered body, but her red head was only the way it was because of blushing.

Because remember dear people, they love each other.

"Takashi?" She tried her best to loosen his grip but it was futile. He was simply stronger than she was.

"Do you understand me?"He increased his force even more, and he would do so until he'd have the answer he wanted. "Will you trust me again? Saeko-san… I'm so sorry… I should have taken responsibility like I had promised. But I was blinded by fear… Rei is still important for me, But so are you! I don't want anything to happen to neither of you! And that's why you need to speak with me right now…" He loosened up now and wanted to look in her eyes. As his face moved up he saw her red and wet cheeks all too good. By the sight of her lips his incredibly stupid speech had had some effect, for they were curled slightly. It were her eyes which spoke a thousand words however. Whether she was crying or not, laughing or not … her eyes still made it clear. They literally sparkled at the sight of that guy and she didn't even want it.

She wanted to be mad for a bit, she wanted to hate for a bit. But she simply couldn't. At least… not now, not today and not ever. She'd never be able to hate him and she hated that. Why not? He had just lied to her, slapped her and now she was supposed to forgive his actions right away? That was not her… it wouldn't be her way. Yet… here he was. Changing her very attitude in one single moment of anger and… possibly, love?

"Takashi-kun… it's… all right. "

As soon as these words had left her lips he let her go for a bit, just to stare into her eyes even better.

"But please… change you way of handling me…" She semi-joked and semi-meant. She thought she heard a giggle, but only just now noticed the rain, the thunder and the wind. Takashi however, now felt safe again to sit next to her. This time with a bit more distance, just an inch, he didn't want her to fall into the pool now did he?

"So… Feel like going inside already?" He asked again.

"No… Don't get me wrong. I'm not mad at you anymore, nor am I happy." She spoke monotone and to his disappointment. "Then again… you actually expect me to happy after this..?"

"No… I can't. But I can expect you to talk about it. At least tell me what happened… and tell me what really happened."

"You think I'd lie?"

"sigh I'm so screwing this up… D'erm… of course not. It's just that people tend to twist things in their favor… it's… totally natural."

"…"

"I mean… Look… I do it all the time!"

"Not better."

Both of them gave each other an awkward smile, and even whilst the rain was massaging their faces they felt perfectly normal and comfortable in their situation. Being soaked beyond measurement already, Takashi rested his feet inside of the pool as well. He was surprised when he felt that the water was being warm… was the heating system still working? At any rate, he had more important things on his mind right now.

"Saeko… Is it still about me?" He suddenly threw out. He felt his face warming up and his hands clenching, yet he simply wanted to know. He couldn't get himself to make eye contact, so instead he watched at their reflection in the water. And in it he could see that she was most likely thinking the same thing.

"No…"

"Oh…" He spoke a tad disappointed.

"No not directly. But yes…"

All of the sudden he felt her hand on his' and her shoulders quickly followed. Of course, he staggered back a bit at first, but quickly gave in and relaxed his body, even leaning back against her a little. He knew this wasn't that much… I mean, they had kissed and even felt each other's body. Yet this time it felt different. Even though they should be furious at each other they weren't. And that was most likely the reason why they felt so warm at this point.

She carried on:

"Everytime We talk with each other… I can feel her getting more hostile with each passing sentence. And I'd be lying if I said that that isn't the case with me. Takashi-kun… I'm going to be very direct to you now… and I just want to get it out. Would you accept that?"

Obviously, the answer was yes. He didn't even have to say it, his eyes said enough.

"Back there… we were ready to kill each other. And I mean that literally. She might have attacked first, but I drew my weapon first. If anything I'd say she was at fault for attacking.. but I know it is a perfectly normal and valid response to someone drawing a weapon at you. And…"

"Seako-san… I want to know why, not how. We all know that nobody stands a chance against you. We also know that neither you, nor Rei is violent without reason…" When he had said this he could feel her fingers squeezing his's, but he had long since anticipated that. "Nor are you, Saeko. Not without reason at least." Quickly he pulled back his hand and put his hand on top of hers' this time. He smiled and stared at the sky and actually enjoyed nature's liquid running over his face like that. He was drenched anyways, so he might as well enjoy it. "Now tell me… what happened? I want to speak with Rei about it as well… so…"

"Nothing happened… "

"Nothing?"

"No. All of us were just talking when Kohta-kun suddenly brought up the roof top. That was enough… the rest speaks for itself."

"No it does not. Tell me."

"Takashi…"

"Saeko?"

"… Persistent. It's annoying. We started yelling… I blamed her for being ignorant, she blamed me for being violent. And that's putting it lightly. And I think…"

A big Thunder shock came from the sky now. Followed by a flash barely a second after.

"Holy shit…. That was loud. Saeko-san… let's get inside… before it's hmpf…" His teeth suddenly hurt a bit as his face was suddenly linked with her's. It wasn't a very rough kiss… nor very soft. Not very long, nor very short. Neither of their face's moved, nor wanted to. Only their hands got locked together tightly. It was Saeko whom quit the kiss as well, obviously blushing she stood up without saying another thing. At least, not anything really relevant to their little deed.

"yes, let's do so. I'm going to change… again."

"Yeah… ermm…" He was stuttering over his own words as he was slightly tasting her sentence in his mouth and nose. "I'll… talk to Rei."

"Oh… and Takashi-kun… one last thing." He looked over his shoulder and saw her stunning face being close to his face once again. He expected a kiss on his forehead or something, but when she stood up straight and moved her leg a little… things seemed off a bit.

"Hmm? … Wait What are y…. SHIT! AARGH!"

He felt his back aching and his very body moving forwards. As he saw the warm water closing in on his face he already knew what had happened. The soft pain was replaced by the feeling of having no air. His limbs all moved in panic as he tried to move his way up. Only problem was… he had no clue as to whether he was swimming up or down. As soon as he opened his eyes the chloride burned, rendering him blind for the time being. He tried to yell…. "S asfneqwufb A Oubfeigbuqea E auefeuabfg K ugheaf O?" But it only emptied his lungs. He felt the bottom with his hands now, and without thinking twice he pushed himself up. As he arose from the plain of no oxygen he Inhaled deeper than he had ever done. Immediately making his way towards the side he muttered quite a bit… yet as soon as he had gotten the patience to carefully look around, he noticed all too well that there was nobody outside anymore. Just him, the rain, maybe a thousand survivors, and last but not least, literally millions of them.

"I've got a great life…"

_That is that. Short chapter… but is it strange I really like this one? No? Well I do! It's simple and a great stage setter for the grand finale. _

_Next chapter will be longer, and the end of this story. At least part 1 of it.. I'll try to have it up on Sunday or Monday. Otherwise the next Sunday. Not later than that, I can assure you people that much. And you know that I always keep my promises concerning upload time! (, ) _

_Yours sincerely,_

_Yamucha-san. _


	22. Through life, and through death p3

_Right, here it is. The final chapter. Part 3. _

_Woop woop… uhm. I probably screwed the end right over, since I hate putting an end to things haha. At any rate, I tried my best. Thanks for the patience!_

_Oh and do note…. I ******* hate writing love scenes from now on. Yamucha is not amused : (_

_I do not own highschool of the dead. All rights belong to its original author and animators. I do own any characters that are newly added to the story._

**Act 20 p3. Through death, and through life.**

He put his hand on her shoulder in an attempt to gain her attention. "Rei?" The girl didn't immediately respond but the nurse whom had been with her did. The blonde woman got the hint and walked out of the kitchen and closed the door without saying a thing.

"Rei, are you all right?"

The girl nodded whilst she slowly turned around. Her face looked tired, exhausted even. Her eyes were red and dark. She even eyed a bit paler than before, but that was most likely due to the shock.

She gurgled a bit and swallowed the brick in her throat.

"Yes.. yes I am. Takashi look…"

"It's okay, you don't have to say anything if you don't want now. I've already talked with Saeko, but I want your side of the story as well."

"There… is no story. No tales of who was right and who was wrong…" As she said this Takashi chuckled softly. Even though he had never seen her like this, he liked her sudden change of attitude. He had expected her to blame Saeko for everything… but she seemed to retain her calm.

"Just tell me one thing then… why? Why do you two resort to violence every time I lay my eyes on you two?" Obviously, he already knew the answer. He wanted to hear it coming from her lips though. Unfortunate for him… she knew perfectly well what he was trying to do. Instead of talking she stood up from her chair and sat down on the sink.

"You already know perfectly well don't you? And so do I… and most likely Senpai as well. Though I don't like her… calling her dumb is the most stupid thing to do, for she isn't. We both… l-l… love you Takashi."

Saying this word was particularly hard for her at this point. At least, Takashi and love in one sentence would only sound good If it included her very own name. But seeing the black spot Saeko in it disgusted her.

For Takashi it sounded weird for he had absolutely not expected her to put it this bluntly.

"Now… I think you know what I'm going to ask you now? Do you?"

"Rei…" He had always knew that this time would come. In fact, he could have seen it coming this very day. But he hadn't… he was completely thrown of his throne.

"Yes? What now? Takashi… I have blamed Senpai for all of my sadness constantly. And I still do! But ever since she… well, basically cut my throath, I've been thinking about it a bit more… deeply. And … and…"

"The problem lies with me? Is that what you want to say Rei?" He threw back at her. He felt anger forming in his bowels… but then he realized that he had no right to be mad at her, nor Saeko. T'was the other way around basically… he had been living on the love of two girls… on the love of two girls he loved, and still loves. One love was old, familiar and cozy. The other love was new, ecstatic and adventurous. And what did he offer them? His love? Or just false hope?

"Y-yes… that's precisely what I want to say."

He noticed all too well that her eyes were getting redder as the conversation carried on… but he couldn't just chicken out now could he? He as well walked to the sink in his drenched clothes and sat right next to the mentally beaten girl he had cherished for so long.

For a minute she giggled and blushed before commenting on his state. "You smell like wet dog!" She joked, it was good for a mutual laugh but nothing more.

"I can change now… and we'd have to start this all over. Or we can talk in my stench, and have this behind us." He partly joked back, and partly meant. He looked at her neck, and the towel which was wrapped around it.

"Does it hurt?" He asked.

"No… it never really did hurt… All I know is that she's dangerous…" Before she had finished her sentence Takashi could feel his muscles slightly tense."… but so am I. I attacked her first… I was convinced that I could take her on… I probably got my hopes up a tad too much since last time."

"Last time?" He asked curiously and saw her opened eyes and clueless lips. She had entered the lion's den now…

"Neverm…"

"Nono, do tell."

She looked in his eyes and saw a glimpse of anger and pity. The girl had no idea as to whether he knew about her incident with Saeko in the mall or not. But she sure as hell wouldn't explain it to him in detail.

"We've already talked it out… Takashi… I thought you wanted to talk about today?"

"Then there'd be no harm in telling me?" He persisted.

"There is."

"Why?" He spoke louder. As he raised his voice he could see the girl twitch a little, he immediately calmed his voice and gave her a faint smile. "Come now, how bad can it be?"

"Bad enough for something like today to happen."

"… Hmm?"

"Look… Takashi.." She placed her hand on his' and stared at the ground. "Can't we just go back to the way we were?"

As soon as these words had left her subtle lips he heard them echo through his brain. Over and over again he replayed that voice. Those words were the ones he had wanted to hear for so long… and she had given him enough chances to already to notice this… but he had been blind, blind and daft. And because of that?

…

Because of that he had changed. He wasn't even sure if he was happy about her statement or not… all he knew is that the butterflies that had once inhabited his tummy were gone. He loved the red head, he loved Rei and he loved his childhood girlfriend. But… he wasn't _in_ love anymore.

"Takashi, … can we?" She squeezed his hands a little harder in order to gain his attention but instead he closed his eyes and clenched his fists.

"Rei…"

"Hmm?" She replied softly, expecting the expected.

All he wanted was to gather the courage to tell her flat out. –Rei, I'm not sure if I love you like that anymore.-

But he couldn't. Instead of that, he jumped from the sink and gave her a faint smile. "Rei.. I want some dry clothes." He spoke on a slightly seductive tone, since he wanted her to remain calm. Obviously… it didn't work. He saw her face turn red and her eyes squeezed together. She wasn't dumb, nor was she naïve. At least, not in her own eyes, thus she perfectly understood his reaction and knew the hidden meaning. Obviously it was her turn to clench her fists and drive her fingers in her palms.

"Rei… I'm sorry." Were his last words before he turned around and started to make his way towards the door. As soon as his eyes noticed the girl's reflection through the glass he felt as if his heart was being squeezed together. His entire body wanted to simply turn around and fervently kiss the sobbing girl behind him. His entire body… safe for his heart. And up until now… that had been the organ he had trusted the most in his entire life. His hand went for his collarbone and he closed his eyes for a second as well. Grinding his teeth and trying to keep himself from sobbing softly… softly? No… it had been a while, but he just felt like releasing the ocean which had gathered behind his eyes. _Not now Takashi… not now. When you're alone… but not now._

His hand made for the door notch, and as his palm drew closer he felt it burning. He felt it freezing and he felt it shooting off jolts. Nevertheless, he grabbed it. Pulled the door towards him and walked on. He wanted to look back but he knew that that would make things worse. Before he closed the door behind him again he whispered a few last words.

"Rei… I have always loved you… you should have done the same for me." Before the door shut he heard her crying voice reach his ear and penetrating his skull.

Nevertheless

He had done it, no? At least… sort of. He hadn't exactly spoken the words verbally… but the message was delivered? Just for a few seconds he smiled. For a few seconds he laughed even. Then came the sadness, … he hadn't even noticed the eyes that were staring at him nor did he care. His entire body clenched as his fists flew towards the nearby table. He heard his hand coming down, and he felt it as well. The pain gathering in his hand was nothing compared to his inner pain though. It was a good thing he felt a friendly hand on his shoulder, followed by a recognizable voice.

"Takashi, come. Sit down."

It was Kohta, he guided his friend towards the chair and immediately offered him a dry towel with which he could dry his face at the very least. A few pats on his back before the boy took the chair on the opposite site.

Takashi didn't hear him talk really, nor did he notice Shizuka making her way towards Rei. Alice stood next to Kohta and so the group was separated in three different fragments.

In the kitchen someone was crying out loud and without pause, the girl was being comforted by the oldest member of their group and together they'd spend the rest of the day talking it over. Talking about Takashi, About Saeko, about the entire group actually. Just some good old fashioned gossiping to get her mind of things.

In the living room, Takashi simply covered his ears and tried to keep himself from breaking more stuff. He had planned on visiting Saeko after his talk with Rei… but as things were now… that wouldn't happen at this point. Kohta and Alice tried to encourage him but he simply wouldn't respond. He had closed a chapter which had been his guideline for his entire life. Now it was just a matter of keeping it closed and carry on with reading.

Up on the second floor, two girls were talking rather calmly. They had no clue of what had occurred downstairs but both of them knew that hell might break loose as soon as their leader and their companion would speak with each other. The indigo haired girl, and the pink haired girl shared a few laughs and were sharing a bath. The former residents must've been quite fortunate to have both a Jacuzzi inside, and a pool outside. Sure, the bubbles didn't work but the water in the boiler was still warm enough for a slightly comfortable bath. And comfort was what they all needed. They two girls didn't talk about relations or anything grim. They talked about school, and life before Z-day.

Whatever would happen next would depends on the actions of Takashi and Rei. Sure, Saeko played an important role. But not a whole lot would change if Takashi would –apologize- or Rei wouldn't accept it. Kohta, Saya, Shizuka and Alice were, in this aspect, kind of useless. They could talk, and share their opinions, which they happily did. But they most definitely could not change the most important thing of all. And that was the emptiness in Takashi's and Rei's heart.

A few hours had passed in utter silence for Takashi. When they heard a vague screaming coming from outside he finally spoke.

"Did you hear that?" He asked his two friends before walking towards the window on the other side of the room, overlooking the street.

"Yeah… unsettling, as always. We're too late however…" Kohta spoke on a moody tone. Alice had long since fallen asleep and it was just the two guys here now. The rain hadn't stopped, in fact, it had only worsened. As Takashi stared down the street he saw a man whom was being torn apart. The boy shivered… it was a sight he would never get used to, he hoped. Well… in a certain way, he already had. Normally, he'd want to go out there and help that man. But now it was obvious that Hirano was right… it was indeed, .. too late.

"Kohta… thanks. I don't know what else I would have broken. But I think I've calmed down now." He turned around and saw the boy leaning his head on his hands as he still sat on the chair.

"Yes… well, no problem. Though I have little understanding of the feelings that were racing through your body… I do know how to calm people down. If only I knew how to do that with myself at times!" He joked afterwards, knowing all too well how he would over-react at a lot of minor things.

"Where are Saya and Saeko-san?" Takashi finally asked.

"Uhm… Saya-san followed Saeko-san when she came walking in drenched. I don't know what they are doing upstairs for so long… but probably the same thing as us. Calming down that is…"

"Great… and here I thought that we were going to lighten the moods a little. And look what has happened? I kinda ruined it all." He spoke whilst stretching and rubbing out some liquid from his eyes. His shirt and pants still clenched to him but the worst of the rain had already left his clothes.

"Do you want my honest opinion?" Kotha spoke and before waiting for a yes or a no the guy carried on. "I think it's right what you did. At least… I think I know what you did and I… well… I.." Kohta struggled with choice of words, afraid of angering the guy in front of him.

"No worries Kohta… I do as well. I mean… I only brought danger to the group by keeping their hopes up." The way he said it made him feel as a downright pimp whom had the choice in thousands of girls. He had had the choice of two girls… yet they were two incredibly stunning girls. More than merely stunning to be honest… And now that he thought he had made his choice… all that remained was to keep walking the right path and don't stagger backwards.

"Hey… Kohta. I'm going to get some new clothes… again. Please forgive me.." Takashi stuttered.

"Yeah… I understand. I might change myself as well, mind if I join you?"

"…"

"…"

Both of the boys stared in each other's eyes and held back a grin.

"No homo!" Kohta yelled out, flabbergasted at Takashi's simple mind. He swung his hands in front of him and shook his head.

"Buwhaha, No worries… I was just joking!" He laughed out before the two guys started to make their way up.

"Wait, I'll come up there in a minute!" Kohta yelled before he walked off towards Alice, whom he'd probably lay on the couch with a blanket.

Takashi didn't wait and had gone ahead to the room where he had changed clothes before. He felt tired… so tired… he didn't really walk forwards, no it was more like… zombie-walking. He chuckled softly as he figured that this was how the hordes of them would probably feel. Yet he quickly slapped himself for laughing about such a thing. Was the whole situation beginning to become humorous? Or just a way of life? Obviously it had… but now he didn't only feel bad for himself and Rei… but also about his jokes. He aimlessly turned right after he had climbed the stairway to dry clothes. He strolled on to the closed white door with the golden door handle. His hand went for the door nod and he opened it…. His hair covered his eyes as he actually mumbled softly about some things. He thought he heard a shrieking voice, but figured it was just his imagination…

He entered the room and was welcomed by … a strange warmth. A strange and dense warmth. He felt some sweat pouring from his front head but he carried on.

Wait… didn't the room have a fluffy carpet? … These were tiles? "Hmm…"

He looked up aimlessly and could swear he saw a vague cloud of steam covering the room. "What… fire?"

"No no… can't be fire… it smells nice in here…." He marched on and his hands searched for the bed, only to be greeted by something which felt like… porcelain. "Hmm… wait?"

He lift his nose one more time… It smelled like… shampoo…

Shampoo?

Denseness?

Porcelain and tiles? "Hmm.. black and white tiles…"

"Wait a minute…" He blinked his eyes twice… guided his hand towards his chin and stared at the ceiling. He hit his own hand palm with a fist and felt as if he had figured it out.

"I'm dead am I not?" He suddenly whispered out before identifying the faces of two girls, staring at him with looks that were as confused as a child would be when watching an illusionist.

One of the girls blinked with an open mouth whilst obviously covering her… well... female parts. The other girl seemed to turn into a tomato…

"Now now… people turning red… that usually means…" He closed his eyes and smiled, rubbing the backside of his head. Realizing what he had just done, he took a few steps backwards before the room was filled with a LOUD scream.

"TAAAAAKAASHHIIIII! YOU PERVERT!"

Kohta came walking up the stairs as he had made sure Alice slept comfortable, and would be surprised by an opened door from the kitchen or anything. He felt very uncomfortable without his glasses and he really didn't know where to go… He was about to turn right before a voice stopped him.

"Kohta! DO NOT go right…"

"Huh?" Kohta wondered, as he turned left instead and entered the same room as Takashi. "Takashi… are… are you all right?"

"Bwoh… No… Hahaha." He laughed as he firmly held his nose and stomach.

"Woyoi…. What happened?"

"Uhm… entered the forbidden room to the right."

"You… what the hell? Why would you even do that?"

"I was… being one of them…"

"One of them?"

"Yeah… one of them."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah… I also got hit on the head… just like them."

"Hmm…"

"Uhuh… I don't know why though. I saw… nothing?"

"Nothing at all?" The boy suddenly flustered out with red cheeks and raised hands.

"Well… Don't get any ideas! Saya can throw soap and rubber ducks hard as hell…"

"What… you got beaten by those things?" He giggled.

"D'erm? Nononono… There was also this big wooden hairbrush which hit my nose. Then I fell with my belly against… I don't know! Shit man! It hurts!"

Both of the guys looked at each other before sharing a shared laugh for a few minutes.

"But between you and me… I think it's worth the pain…"

"What do you mean? Oi Kohta! Oi Don't be stupid!" He tried to yell at the boy who seemed to be flying towards the bathroom like a little cupido. But before he even reached the door of their own room it smashed open straight against his head, throwing him to the ground with a twister move and a long spray of blood from his nose.

Out of the door came Saya with both of her hands on her hips and her hair brushed all nice and girly… She gave the floored Kohta one vague twitch with her eye before turning to Takashi.

"We need this room, we need clothes…"

And yes indeed… she wore nothing more than her underwear and a towel wrapped around her. T'was a good thing for Kohta to be knocked out or he'd have lost it.

"yeah well… so do I. There's another room to the left of here… it has clothes as well."He spoke, actually quite scared of what she might do. But he meant it… he felt the need to change as well.

"No, I saw clothes in this one which I like."

"yeah… so…"He thought very carefully over his next words. "So do I."

"FINE! JEES! You're so stubborn…. First you go peeking on us, and now you won't even…"

"It's okay saya, come let's check the other room."

A white hand grabbed her by her shoulder and for a few seconds showed her face to Takashi. Her pale head eyed slightly confused. For one part she eyed embarrassed and furious at him, whilst another part of her giggled.

Before Takashi could figure out what to do and what to think, the girls had already left him.

He wondered… was Saeko-san also wearing nothing more than a towel and some panties and a bra? He shivered at the thought and felt his blood rushing towards places where it shouldn't be at a mere thought. He coughed, reassembled himself, picked Kohta from the floor and together they picked the coolest shirts and the best pair of trousers.

In reality, they just grabbed what they could and the first thing which they had thrown over her body seemed to satisfy them.

Ten minutes had passed before they were done and Takashi found himself laying on the bed. Hugging the pillow with his arms he dug his face in the white softness as well. Could this day get any more awkward?

He heard Kohta close the window now, as the guy was most likely up to something.

"Takashi… I'm going down and see if there's any food left. It's been quite a few days now… it actually feels as if I'm losing track. Food starts to rot you know… we might want to collect everything we need and can preserve, before it's too late."

His leader merely nodded in his pillow and felt as if he could sleep twenty four hours straight.

As he heard the door open and close behind him, he could also clearly hear Saya's voice coming from the hallway. She was yelling at Kohta but didn't seem mad. He then heard footsteps going down the stairs and he exhaled.

Finally… he was alone.

Being alone? that would be great for him. But no, as soon as he exhaled he heard somebody knock on the door. "GO Away Saya! I'm trying to sleep…"

Once there was no response he sighed again. Slightly annoyed by the pink girl he stood up and made his way towards the door. Before he had reached it he heard another few knocks… She was mocking him now?

As he had opened the door slightly he seemed to hear Saya's voice coming from downstairs… Yes, it was obvious now that it wasn't Saya in front of him and he laughed at himself for not having guessed it. He saw two pale foots behind the door, two legs covered by a long silky pair of pajama trousers. As his eyes went up slowly he was disturbed by her voice.

"Uhm… Takashi-kun… can I come in for a bit?"

He blushed slightly and staggered back a bit… she must have seen him staring at her… well not really staring… more like… observing. Wait… he had stared in the bathroom? No… back then he was simply confused.

"Dérm… y-yeah sure. Come in." He opened the door further and walked aside for her to move in. To his surprise it was she whom closed the door and kept walking towards the windows without saying a thing. She eyed confident and frail… was it because of the thunderstorm outside? Takashi knew better than that, but it was still better to deny the truth for the time being. If Takashi didn't know any better, he'd say she was angry with him. But there was something… well, .. different.

"Saeko-san, is there something wrong?" He asked hesitantly before making his way towards the window. She looked at him from top to toe and chuckled softly at this confused and tired head.

"No Takashi… no there's nothing wrong." She placed her hand on the now closed window and watched at the dark skies. "I'm just wondering… how late is it?" The girl eventually said.

"The time?" Being a tad disturbed by this useless question he tried to guess why she'd want to know that so badly. Yet before his brain could even start to think about the matter, she already interrupted him.

"Have you spoken with Miyamoto?"

When this question reached his ears he could immediately feel his body tense. He had, just for a minute, forgotten about him and Rei. And to be reminded of it, by his current crush, was quite frankly… embarrassing.

_Oh god… And now comes the part where I remove myself from Rei and try to go on with Saeko-san? Please… please let it be the right choice. _"I have… and to get directly to the point. It's… over." He felt his nails scratching his palms again as he got the sudden urge to simple beat in a door, For a minute he even wanted to go out and beat some of them to a pulp.

One might expect Saeko to try and talk to him? She did nothing besides staring at him with a soft and gentle smile. He wasn't even aware of it as he was struggling with his inner feelings and next sentence. And why didn't the girl hug, kiss or spoke to him?

Honour.

By comforting him now he'd just swallow back his feelings only to release them on a later date. Plus she'd make him feel weak, weak and fragile. Unable to solve his problems himself. He was, after all, her leader.

After a few minutes for her, and an hour for him, he talked again.

"Saeko-san… I… should have done this from the beginning. If there's anything good about this all… it's that I learned something. It's that I learned to fight and not run away from my inner feelings. I've tried to convince myself… that my feelings for you were nothing more than a way to get over Rei. Nothing more than a way to secure our safety… and my safety."

He looked up directly in her eyes. A dark shadow covered his head as his hair was resting in front of him, but the girl could see the shimmers of his tears and irises all too well. It was hard to not lift her hand and embrace his feelings… a bit too hard actually. But she as well had learned to be herself… and embracing her crying love wasn't something she'd just do.

As for Takashi? He really didn't expect her to do anything. He didn't even know if she was going to accept him… Barely an hour back he was sure of it… so sure. But now it was all surrounded and covered by a black curtain of doubts.

"But… after Saya's manor… after our way to the mall. I feel as if our bond… has grown stronger… stronger, stronger and stronger. And it's true… we haven't gotten much time alone… and I doubt we'll ever have plenty of that. "

In one sudden movement he went for her hands and held them firmly in his palms, locking their eyes in a firm lock.

"But Saeko-san… know that I… That I…" He felt the words being stuck in his throat and as he looked at the flabbergasted eyes of the girl he gave it one final attempt.

"I know… That I … l-love Rei…." He grinded his teeth and squeezed her hands even harder now that he saw her widely opened eyes and slightly angry eyes..

"In this world of now… I don't know if love even exists … And I don't care if it does or not. But Saeko… I love Rei and I will always do so. But…"

He swung his arm around her waist and pulled her against his body. Firmly trying to keep himself from sobbing and when he didn't feel her returning the hug he almost gave up. He felt like sinking through the ground but then, when everything got silent, he spoke his last words. "But I'm IN love with you. SAEKO!"

A very soft, and above all, comforting shush. Her hands were softly placed on his back and she rested her head on his shoulders. He felt her cold and silent voice tickling his ears. "I'm quite sure that I… love you to."

It took him a minute to let these words come through to him but when they did he simply closed his eyes and pulled her in closer, almost crushing her slim body with his strong and lustful arms. He even managed to get a small grunt from her, but besides that there was only silence to accompany them.

Takashi felt better than ever… he just couldn't express himself. He felt tears running over his cheeks and he felt his entire body tense. But the sweet scent coming from his enigmatic lover neutralized his anger in a way he could never have anticipated.

It was only after an unknown amount of time they finally let each other go. It felt weird… they knew so little about each other's past yet they felt so closely bonded. If anyone would have asked if this kind of love really existed he'd have scoffed them and laugh at their idiocy. But now… at this point… it felt real. It didn't only feel that way, it was real.

Saeko herself felt like a little girl. Never before had she felt like this… last time she wanted to obtain this feeling for herself everything had turned out so bad. But now, when everything began so bad, it all ended up so good. And it were these kind of stupid paradoxes which she was beginning to cherish more and more.

Thus when they finally departed their bodies they really didn't know what to say. Was there much to say even?

When a loud thunder shock reached their ears and the window flew open from a gust of wind it became clear to them, that if there was a God of some sort out there. He either supported them, or would condemn them to hell.

When there were once again a few inches between their bodies both of them stared, blushed and were on a quest for words. And what to do next? Well it goes without saying that their lips soon found each other. Yet even kissing felt different this time… no forcing, no war between tongues. Just a soft, gentle, loveable and long kiss. Even whilst they ran short on breath they could hope to part their lips.

At this point it wasn't only Takashi whom felt a few tears running over his cheeks. Neither of them dared to open their eyes nor wanted to. Forcing each other to go on they placed their hands behind the lover's head and waist.

Takashi, having the worse stamina, eventually simply had to pull back his head to take a quick gasp of air. It might have been for the best otherwise they'd have just stood there for as long as the other's wouldn't miss them.

As he was regaining his breath he finally broke the silence.

"Then… what now?" Yep… that was all he could come up with. He even got a faint chuckle out of her as she run her fingers over his warm cheeks.

"Didn't you want some sleep?" She spoke both firmly and gently.

"D'erm… y-yeah… I was about to." He couldn't help but to look down at the two soft mountains being pressed firmly against his chest. Thank god that their groins weren't connected as well or that might have been quite the awkward situation.

He found himself gazing down time after time, only to quickly look into her eyes again, still waiting for an answer for a question he had never asked. Was it strange that he liked her eyes almost as much as her female assets?

"Then what's stopping you?" She gave him a very soft push and he staggered back, fell on the back and found himself struggling against the assault of the bed sheets.

When he had finally regained his sitting he noticed all too well how she covered her mouth and chuckled quite loudly now.

"You sure like to panic when you fall don't you? And you fall so… easily."

Takashi found her joke… well… a bit embarrassing. In response he rubbed his face and simply smiled back.

"If only you'd stop pushing me, I can retain my dignity." No really… it was quite different to know that your girl is able to put you down without any effort at all.

"I think it's better if you'd learn to stop falling for every slight push I give you." She closed her eyes and rested her head on her right shoulder. It looked downright… cute. And quite… well, unlike Saeko.

"Pfff…" _If only… I could say something back. But I can't!... if only… "_ yeah well… I think we'll have plenty of time to train my balance. As for now… let's get something to eat… and, yeah well.. let's just go down."

He saw the surprised look in her eyes all too well. She even seemed a little disappointed. Nevertheless, she offered him her hand to raise him from the bed. The boy grunted a bit and stretched. Then he cracked his neck, yawned and accepted her hand. Well… not really accept. As soon as their palms touch and she wanted to pull him up she squealed. Knowing perfectly well what had just happened. Yet before she could retract her kind gesture she found her world spinning this time. After a few subtle seconds a loud *poff* filled her head, followed by some short bursts of suppressed laughter. As she pushed herself up she saw the bed right beneath her. Her eyes were big and she blinked a few times before turning her head to Takashi.

She… she would never let this happen again… the girl had been caught off guard and was –floored-.

The boy at his turn greatly enjoyed his small triumph. And like a little child he felt his abs aching and so did his cheeks.  
>"I'm sorry, Saeko-san. But I guess I was entitled to my small… revenge?"<p>

"Uh…uh." She confirmed, still a bit surprised. It was not as if it was a big deal or anything, yet she still was quite flabbergasted.

Her leader stared at her long hair which covered her perfectly born face. His eyes tracked the rest of her body as well, as she simply sat there on hands and knees. He followed the curve in her arched back. Her pale skin was perfectly visible on her lower back as the pajama top had been moved up. He was just about to stare some more when her voice distracted him.

"Takashi… I'm a girl remember? " She had used this line before, back when she and he had distracted the hordes of them. Yet then she had spoken the words out of embarrassment… this time they were more or less… seductive.

"Of course I do. And one of the prettiest girls as well, I might add. If not the prettiest. And…" He moved a little closer before finishing his sentence. "And… the most cute as well when she is surprised." His remark had an obvious effect as the girl blushed and looked down.

"Takashi-kun… do you think they will accept it?"

"Us?"

"Yes… us. I have no doubt Kohta and Saya will eventually cope with us. But… It might be for the best if we go down now and pretend as if nothing happened. If Miyamoto… or anyone… get more annoyed than they are right now. Things might go downhill really fast."

"What? You want to hide this?" yes, he was a bit annoyed. Out of everyone he knew, he hadn't expected Saeko to talk about hiding things. But he also knew… that she was right. But for him, it didn't feel right at all.

"It's not that I want to… it's that it's most likely the best thing to… hmmpf?"

In one sudden movement she found herself grabbed around the waist and felt weight pushing against her back. She still sat on her hands and knees yet this time Takashi was hanging over her. Resulting into a rather… arousing position. Her arms almost collapsed and it wasn't long before she lay flat down on the bed, with her front being pushed in the bed.

"Saeko-san… you really should let your guard down this often…"He joked once again. He knew perfectly well how strange their position might look, and even though it hadn't been his attention… he wasn't really bothered by it either. When she started to struggle a bit under his weight it only got more interesting.

"Takashi? What are you doing?" She felt his weight pushing her down and wasn't sure whether to like it… or to fight it. He quickly supported himself though, allowing her the roll over, only to find herself boxed in between his arms and under his body. And yes… her body began to feel warm, she desperately tried to fight her face going red thus she looked to the side.

Takashi at this turn stared directly into her eyes and it wasn't long before he moved in closer. He heard her gasp as he placed a soft kiss on her neck to re-obtain her attention. It goes without saying, that as soon as she turned her head they got trapped into an unforgiving kiss. This time their tongues parted each other lips in lust.

Being guided by passion it wasn't long before Takashi couldn't help but to let his hips crush against hers. They'd been in this situation before yet this time it was more… intimate. As a small string of salvia connected the one inch gap between their departing lips he simply asked it.

"Busujima Saeko… will you be mine?"

He didn't need an answer in words. Her hands trailing his spine and her firm nod was enough for him. But she did give him one.

"wasn't that clear then?" She shuffled a bit, grabbed his hands and placed it between her breasts and on her heart. "I will."

In one single moment of joy he almost wanted to scream, but was stopped by her finger on his lips. He smiled and got back to work as he unbuttoned her silky pajama and managed to cup her right breast in his hands.

It was after this point that things went on autopilot. His other hand went for her legs and parted them far enough for himself to be placed within them. Her hands finding his way under his shirt didn't calm him down obviously and as he pulled it over his head he felt her warm breath against his neck as she wrapped her hand around it. He carried on fondling and getting rid of clothes. It wasn't long before both of them were stripped down until they had nothing covered but their core parts.

The grinding had stopped and all they cared for now was the gathering of the courage to go on.

"Really?" He suddenly remarked. "I'm most likely the happiest guy in the world at this point." His hand slid downwards until he tipped the edge of her panties.

She had always said that she was a woman, and would do whatever it took to relieve them of their stress. But now that the point of actually… doing it, had arrived. It was quite a different story.

"Don't you think… the other will come up any minute now?"

He chuckled at her sudden shyness and shook his head. I think everyone is being with somebody now. Be it to sorrow, to flirt or… or to make out." His hand slid down her undergarment yet before entering the final realm they both stopped panting and loving for a bit.

"Are you sure? Saeko-san?" he asked out of courtesy. When he saw her smile and gain her breath for a bit he as well, felt as if another world was about to open.

"Are you… ready?" The way she said this startled him for a bit. Long enough for her to turn the roles around and position herself on top of the young boy. Before he had realized what had occurred he saw her face just in front of him.

When she opened her mouth to whisper in his ear he could feel her warm breath being warmer than ever. His hands made their way to her hips as both of their sweating bodies were just screaming for each other.

Seeing that they had arrived at a point of no return Saeko loosened her grip on him for a bit so they could relax whilst she let her hand run over his chest. She positioned herself properly and simply kept eye contact whilst retaining a devilish grin. They both knew perfectly well that this was probably too fast and too… well… unsafe. Yet then again… neither of them had the pleasure of being in love for quite some time, so being in this situation felt as if a bomb suddenly exploded inside the both of them. Slowly she eased herself down using her hand to unite herself with her leader. Both of the lover birds groaned deeply as she engulfed every inch of him in her warm sheet. His hands went for her hips and his nostrils flared as their eyes began to be filled with lust, as well as love. He gasped and moaned as the young girl began to rock her hips back and forth on the even younger boy. She moaned in turn as the boy eagerly raised his hands and grasped her more than ample breasts. Saeko leaned her head back as her entire body began to get warmer and warmer. Her sins of the past were forgotten as she kept grinding her hips against his'.

It wasn't even that long before Takashi arched his back to drive himself deeper into his passion. He wrapped his arms around the stunning young lady and rolled them over once again so that he was in the dominant position. In a passionate response she wrapped her legs around his hips to keep him from separating from her. He pressed his hands against the bed and locked his arms into a straightened position so he could keep contact with her eyes and every now and then give a quick gaze downwards. Before moving any further or harder he made sure to kiss her one more time.

Oh yes, these long hidden urges were finally being released in a party that was about to get wilder and wilder.

"Sigh… How long do you think we'll be here?" the chubby boy asked.

"For as long as we see fit. I think we'll have to… well, venture out anytime now. Rations are getting low and we are in need of armament." Saya replied, resting her heads on her hands. Sighing loudly and moving backwards on her chair, almost tumbling over in the process.

"Well.. it's up to Takashi."

"yeah… what is taking them so long anyways?" The girl asked as a sudden realization struck her.

"Probably just… talking?"

"Talking?"

"Yeah… let's keep it at that." Both of them gave each other a deep stare before blushing and laughing a bit.

As their laughter stopped they could swear they heard some sort of yell coming from upstairs.

"Sigh… Please Takashi… know what you're doing." The girl spoke before standing up and making her way to the kitchen where Shizuka, Alice and Rei were still talking. "Kohta-kun… come, let's make some food."

As the boy walked up to her he saw her staring at him before poking him. "Not one word to Rei, okay?"

The boy sighed and finally grinned. "Of course not."

As a certain couple was dressing up whilst panting heavily they couldn't help but to keep gazing at each other when they thought the other wasn't looking.

As Takashi simply wore another indigo singlet and his black trousers he was done quite quickly. Not long after Saeko had dressed up as well. With once again a skirt, black leggings and a black top. Yet this time she wore a baggy white shirt over it.

It was weird but…. Everything fitted her perfectly and she simply kept looking as stunning as ever.

"Let's… go down… and eat a bit?" He asked, rather uncomfortable. Without saying a word she made her way towards the door and waited for him to join her.

They hadn't really spoken after their… well… deed. Nor did they really need to. It was confirmed… for the time being they would be, bluntly said, boyfriend and girlfriend.

"Yes… I think there were some leftovers.."

As soon as he joined her and their shoulders touched they fervently blushed once again. Yet instead of backing off, she simply grabbed his hand and rested her cute head on his shoulder. As he responded they made their way out of the room and towards the stair.

The rain had stopped and the sun broke through. Everything felt great now. Problems flooded away and courage replaced it. Whatever was going to happen… they'd manage.

They set their first step down the stairway and were blinded for a bit by the bright sunlight. As they slowly walked down, step for step they gave each other one last whisper, before they'd rejoin their friends and enemies.

"Takashi-kun… Can you say it once more?" She softly asked on quite a stuttering way. She was pleased to see his gentle eyes and when he softly squeezed her hand he spoke the last words, on their first big step towards the future.

"Busujima Saeko… I like you. I like your dark side, and I especially this soft side. I love you, and will do so for as long as fate will let me. Through death, and through life.

_Right… what is there to say? This took me three weeks. I actually finished up this chapter two times already but I simply didn't please myself with its content. _

_And now? Well… It's all right. Yes, I think it's all righ t.I'm not pleased with it, … but it is all right._

_The only real complaint I have is… well. I don't like writing sex scenes. I really don't! And I think you have all noticed that. For I cut it quite short and you have my sincere apologies. But I just can't do it man! I just can't!_

_At any rate. I'll think about a part 2 of this all. But first I'm going to enjoy a break haha. I might write a few one shots, and I'll upload them as chapters on this story, or as completely different stories. They'll all be short and useless so to speak haha._

_But sometimes I just feel like typing about a poker match between people… and it'd be quite fun to talk about a poker game between our humble heroes. Or something like that!_

_And for the rest? I'll also upload well… like… a survey or something._

_In which I'll ask you all a few things about the possible season 2._

_Like… what to do? Oc's yes or no? Where to go? Etc…_

_Because now I really have nothing left to follow the manga with. :/ _

_I hope that you all will be helping me out with that one. I need you people! _

_And last but not least… Thanks for everyone who has read all of this. This is my first story which is completed, and I know it is FAR from perfect. But I did my best, and also due to your constant support and compliments plus good criticism I managed to pull it off. It's quite a long work… so I really hope you all enjoyed it._

_My thanks goes to everyone who has favorited me or the story, story alerted, or anything else. And also of course, to the readers without an account and without favoriting. You all count! And I know everyone says that… but I mean it for a change haha._

_But… I know I'm probably going to be spanked on my face with wooden bricks for this. Yet my special thanks goes to a few very cool people whom have helped me in well… in altering my style and making this story a better thing for you to read._

_I know I shouldn't put your names here but I'll do it anyways. If you have complains, smack my face in and I'll remove it._

_**Il-rev:**__ Thanks for being such an awesome guy to chat with and thanks for your reviews._

_**Roflmywaffles:**__ Thanks for taking the time to correct my grammar flaws without being a dick. Also thanks for your constructive criticism and compliments. _

_**Otaku-SIG:**__ You were one of my first reviewers and have sticked with me until the end haha! It is much appreciated!_

_**She-ga-roo: **__ Thanks for the great reviews and fun conversations!_

_**Mastermelkor:**__ Though you're gone for two years. I hope you'll ever see this special thanks! Haha._

_I might have forgotten names! Fuck me and my idiocy! _

_Please leave a review if you've read through my story. Whether you liked or hated it, do it anyways._

_I love you all! And I'll try to upload something as soon as possible!_

_Yours sincerely and faithfully,_

_Yamucha-san._


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